X-Men Belonging
by Farook Qais
Summary: A year after Decimation Day, Emma Frost still can't shake the nightmares of Scarlet Witch's fateful words "no more mutants." The mutant population officially stands at 198, but Moira MacTaggart has a serum that could change the future of the world forever. Full of characters from Avengers to Inhumans, read #XMenBelonging. Season 1: March 22 2019 - September 13 2019.
1. Episode 1

EPISODE 1:

Blurry scenes are shown surrounded by a lot of background noise, a lot of screaming, most of which don't even seem to fit the picture. A woman in red, Scarlet Witch, is holding a body, her brother Quicksilver, resurrecting him with her power. She is angry and she yells at the person floating in the distance; the siblings' father Magneto, the person evidently responsible for striking Quicksilver down. "No more mutants." Eyes open and the woman dreaming this nightmare wakes up with heavy breath. Her beau is next to her. Emma Frost tells Scott Summers that her nightmares recall what happened on Decimation Day all too vividly.

We see a silver haired man walking the streets. He seems to be on foreign land, surrounded by people of foreign culture. He runs a little, but does so incredibly fast, through the town's market stalls. We recognise him from the arms of the woman in red. Quicksilver.

Back at the X-Mansion Scott and Emma have breakfast in bed and they are mid-discussion about how to deal with Valerie Cooper. It's established that Valerie works for the US government and that she originally helped and facilitated getting the world's 198 mutants to the Xavier Institute for their protection. The majority of those mutants however saw the supposed safe haven as a prison. Things backfired when tracking implants were put in anyone who wanted to leave the mansion. Trust was broken and Scott and Emma were the ones taking the brunt of the blame. It's established that Emma doesn't dive into people's minds or memories due to ethics that she had learned from Charles Xavier.

Back at the market, a passer by stops near a building and kneels down to give the remainder of his satsuma to a stray dog. He sees the silver haired figure at the far end of the market, then a blink later he sees him much closer. Much more closer than a person should be able to walk in the blink of an eye. He sees bread on a market tray. A blink later and it's gone. Then he spots the silver haired guy chowing down on the loaf. We recognise the passer by as Gambit.

"Better us than her." Emma says, referring to Wanda Maximoff, that she's fine if the world's mutants see the X-Men as the ones to blame for the distrust. "It doesn't have to be that way." "I know Scott, but we have to be the focus. For mutants and humans. Nobody understands what happened on Decimation Day. Can you imagine if people knew that it was Scarlet Witch that depowered the world's mutant population? Magneto would be hunted down and so would we by association." "We're deflecting. I understand that, but our house isn't in order, that's what concerns me. There are barely any of the X-Men left." "That's what we must do then. Rebuild. We start here, at home, and then we worry about the rest of the world. We'll need them, for our own future family to protect." Emma rubs her tummy and Scott hands her a tea. They catch the closing of a news broadcast, which Emma asks Scott to rewind. They watch it fully and it's of a familiar face holding a press conference outside her scientific labs. Moira MacTaggart claims that the world's mutant population decreasing gives humanity an opportunity at preparing for a better future. She says that when mutants first emerged, people saw them as a threat, as if to say if you weren't a mutant, you were going to become obsolete. Now there's an opportunity to accept the world's mutant presence and enhance peace as we individually see fit. Moira says that everyone should have a choice. Not the idea of wiping out mutants, and vice versa, not the idea of mutants growing to take over the world. Moira says that her company MMM Global Sciences is working on a serum where a host mom can be injected and that she ensures her child be born in the same form as the host. So if it's two human parents, they can guarantee that their child be born a human. If it's two mutant parents, they can guarantee their child be born a mutant. Even in relationships where the father is mutant and the mother a human, as long as you are going with whatever species the host is; that is how your baby will be born. Moira says that this is a scientific breakthrough that they are testing and finalising. She explains that most X-genes form during puberty and adolescence, but that this serum will maintain the gene structure of the child. As they become teenagers, there will be no sign of an X-gene, or there will, if a mutant host is having the baby. "If it works, the world will be as you want it. Mutants have been called freaks and some of you have outcasted them from your families because they do not understand or can't comprehend change or evolution. So stay human. Allow your families to remain human generation after generation – but mutants have an opportunity too. If you're a mutant mom and you don't want the possibility of a human child, you can take our serum and ensure that your family continues as mutants only. We are building a new world. Mutants are a part of it, but now you have the right to choose." Emma talks to Scott and says that such a serum would take away from the natural order of the world. She says that mutants being in the world is a part of evolution and Wanda rewound that with what she did on D-Day. "What Moira wants to do is create a separation, create the idea of having a you and us separated world." Scott says that Moira's statement would create problems. "Purifiers and mutants alike, a lot of people won't like this." Emma and Scott state that they need to do their part in keeping the world safe. They know that the X-Men are a group torn; no Xavier, lack of mutants and no current team. Cyclops would do his utmost to rebuild the team. Emma Frost meanwhile would go to visit Moira and tell her directly what a bad idea this is. It's revealed that Emma is pregnant as Scott rubs her tummy and tells her to be careful. Ensuring mutantkind have a place in the world is their priority, especially as a means of keeping their own child safe. Emma lets slip that she knows the baby is a girl. Scott jokes about naming the girl Rachel or Madelyne.

We see a short clip of Gambit trying to keep an eye on Quicksilver. He talks aloud, to someone not in the picture. Says they need to track Pietro to find out what he wants. He wouldn't be in India without a purpose. There's sand and gravel whooshing by Gambit's feet as he walks and talks.

Beast is hanging upside down and reading in Xavier's office. Scott goes to talk to him about getting the X-Men united again. The rapport they have is friendly. They talk and it's established that they both miss Charles. Scott says he wants to rebuild the X-Men. Beast asks why, stating that the world is in a "normal" state. Scott reveals to Beast what Moira has in mind.

Emma shows up outside MMM Global Sciences and there is a nuisance outside the building. Security is in place, but she has to walk through a number of people before eventually managing to mind control the security guards to allow her inside. She then telepathically instructs the Receptionist to contact Moira.

Scott says that he has to be prepared, not just for himself and the legacy of Charles, but also for the fact that he's going to have a family soon – and he wants his X-Men family to be there, through all of it. "Surrogate aunts and uncles. You, Godfather." Beast smiles "a big blue Godfather? Is that normal enough for you and Emma?" The conversation goes on and Beast says that he served Charles and that it would be an honour to stand by Cyclops and be a part of his family.

Emma has a sit-down with Moira in her office at MMM Global Sciences. Moira explains more about the serum, how ethical it is and how much of a difference it could make in the world accepting a mutant presence. Emma says that becoming a mutant for anyone is always a gift and a curse, but it's a part of life just like when a disabled child is born, a small person being born, a blind child, one with a missing limb. Emma says it's all by chance and how God intends it. Moira says she didn't know Emma was religious. Emma: "I'm not really. I'm trying to make you understand. The natural order of the universe will change because of what you're doing. A lot of people just want normal lives as humans."

Back in India sand and gravel whoosh by Gambit's feet as he tries to keep tabs on Quicksilver. His phone rings and he has a conversation with Scott Summers.

Back at MMM; Moira: "And they can have that, they can guarantee it." Emma: "But then those that want to have mutant families? They birth a mutant child, they raise the baby with it's powers guaranteed to manifest – but that child becomes a target. From purifiers, bullies at school, you name it. Those mutants and their parents immediately paint targets on their backs." Moira accuses Emma of not wanting more mutants on the planet. Emma says that Moira's getting her wrong and that her point is that the world wouldn't have a true acceptance of mutants because so many of them would be artificially created and for every one mutant baby that there may be, there would be hundreds of human parents ensuring that they have human children – so mutant numbers would never be able to catch up.

Quicksilver knowingly leads Gambit into a back alley. The two fight normally, but then Quicksilver uses his speed followed by Gambit causing street trash to explode via his kinetic powers. A stranger threatens the "bastard mutants" and the fight dulls down. Gambit asks Quicksilver what he's doing in India. Quicksilver says that he's looking for someone.

At MMM, Moira and Emma continue their back and forth, but then gun shots are heard. A security guard had been wounded outside the building. The protestors had gotten out of hand. Emma's pregnant belly begins to bother her. She says she'll call Scott. Moira meanwhile calls the police.

Pietro and Remy are walking the streets and they seem to be on the same page that they shouldn't have used their mutant capabilities during their fight. Sand and gravel whirls in their direction behind them as they walk and talk. Pietro says that he came to India looking for a mutant called Dust. He says that Dust can help him on his mission; to find his sister Wanda and get mutants their power back. Gambit says that he very well knows who Dust is and where she is, but that giving the world back it's mutant powers is a bad idea. Gambit says that Quicksilver has always been like his dad; thinking that mutants are homo-superior "and now that we're down to 198, you think that we're under threat. We're not, we're in a place where we're finally under some kind of control. The majority of who's left; they're being quiet and they're getting on with trying to have normal lives. What Wanda did was right. At least the world now has some kind of normality." Quicksilver figures out that Gambit is in India because he has a relationship with Dust. "And so? The two of you are living happily ever after?" "Not exactly. She's conflicted by her beliefs, but I care about her enough to protect her, and there's nothin' that girl don't know about me." During this conversation Gambit is responding to text messages from Beast. The two talk some more and Quicksilver demands that Gambit tell him of Dust's whereabouts. Gambit says that he's leaving the country soon, to visit the old mansion. "Texting Beast as we speak." Gambit suggests that Pietro goes with him. Quicksilver says that he doesn't trust the people that prodded his sister into disappearance, that made her so mad that she rid the world of it's mutant population. Gambit reiterates the fact that it was their father, Magneto, that made Wanda say those three words on D-Day. Quicksilver says that if Gambit and Dust don't help him on his mission, he'll find another way. He rushes off. Gambit walks a little and then Dust forms right beside him, out of sand and gravel, walking casually. She asks what Quicksilver wanted her for, but Gambit said he didn't ask because it undoubtedly wasn't anything good. Dust asks if she's going to America with Gambit. He says that she better, in case Pietro shows up again.

Police have arrived at MMM Global Sciences and the chaos is easing, but when The Blackbird shows up, the original shooter begins firing again. He's on the run while shooting blindly toward the building and up toward The Blackbird. He shoots a chasing police officer, but he cannot outrun Beast, who chases him down and holds him for police to eventually take over.

Back in India in a hotel room, Pietro seems disgruntled that he didn't get what he wanted. He's speaking to Mystique via Skype. She says that she will track down the next person that could help them. She directs Pietro to make his way to Africa in order to "be ready for her." After disconnecting the call Pietro takes interest in a documentary about panthers that's on television in the background.

Things settle down outside MMM as police make further arrests. Moira greets Cyclops, Beast and Emma, saying that the police would want a statement from her. Cyclops says that they probably want one from Beast too, but that Beast should drop him and Emma home first as Emma was feeling uncomfortable with the baby bump. Beast tries to arrange with Moira for him to come back and spend some time in her labs so that he could understand the proposed serum better. Moira shuts him down and takes her leave. As he gets to the cockpit of The Blackbird, Cyclops asks if Beast is alright. Beast says that "something seemed off" when he asked Moira to have access to her labs. The Blackbird flies off into the clear sky.


	2. Episode 2

EPISODE 2:

Scott's in the X-Mansion kitchen, very early hours of the morning. He's sipping a hot drink and we can hear muffled voices. Scott's concentrating on his own thoughts, not wanting to eavesdrop. A door shuts. Soon after, Beast walks into the kitchen in a robe.

Scott: "Who was that?"

Beast: "Peter. Poor boy's still having a tough time recovering from last year."

Cyclops: "You're a great friend Hank."

Beast: "Don't I know it. Why are you up? Is Emma alright?"

Scott: "She seems to be. I'm actually up because I'm waitin' on Gambit. His flight is due in about thirty minutes. Figure I'd go pick'm up."

Hank: "We've texted. I told him how much fun this was all going to be, but even after a year of no more mutants, there seems to be unrepairable damage."

Scott: "That's why we're the X-Men Beast; not to solve or repair, but to help the world adapt and accept."

Scott offers Hank to go to the airport with him, but Hank says that he's been talking to Peter all night and that he'd catch up with Gambit later in the day.

We see a figure walking the streets of London. She shapeshifts into a random passer-by, then into another person and then into another before finally entering a pub. She goes to order a drink and over her shoulder in a booth we see a female talking to a few other people. The people seem to be listening eagerly as the female teaches them a thing or two. This is when/where we first meet Kitty Pryde.

Scott arrives at the airport and he goes in to grab a coffee whilst waiting on Gambit. There's commotion coming from the Departures area and out runs a man as fast as he can. Gambit is running after him, but then he puts his bag down, opens the zipper and takes out some cards; charging them and launching them toward the guy running. We see a woman running out from Departures with a security guard and then we see sand and gravel snake its way out from Gambit's bag. We follow it along the ground as it chases the man. A playing card explodes off the man's shoulder and he goes down as if he'd been hit by a brick. The sand keeps the guy stuck to the ground. As Cyclops and Gambit make it over, the sand transforms into Dust, who holds the man down as Cyclops then yanks the backpack full of jewellery away from the man. Gambit puts a knee on the guy's back, allowing Dust to be relieved, but as she stands she has a gun to the back of her head. The security guard is pointing a gun at her stating that she is a mutant, a threat to everyone at the airport.

Gambit: "You're prejudiced! I'm throwin' cannons and the woman in the Niqab is who you find a threat?" Gambit begins swearing in French.

The security guard radios for backup and tells them to call the police. He states that he won't let an illegal alien come into his country, let alone one that's a mutant. Cyclops thinks on his feet and tries to deescalate the situation by stating that the woman (Dust) wasn't illegal and that she in fact works in the jewellery store. He says that Dust's unique mutant capabilities enable her to clean the diamonds in the store thoroughly. Gambit becomes increasingly agitated because of the gun still pointed at the back of Dust's head. Dust says that the stranger is correct. She says that she was only trying to take the man down for the benefit of the store. The security guy asks why then did he see Dust manifest out of Gambit's bag?

She says that she thought Gambit was an accomplice of the guy in front; "I thought he stole, so I checked his bag. You saw me coming out from it, but not going in."

The security guy then asks the lady from the store whether or not Dust's story was true. The lady looks at all three mutants and nods, stating that Dust was a friend of hers. The security guy finally lowers his gun and Gambit quickly embraces Dust. Cyclops encourages the security guy to take the credit for taking down the criminal and to be ready for the police when they arrived.

"In the meantime, we will go. We never had to be here."

The woman from the shop states that she has her jewellery back so there's no need for the police to come and question the mutants' involvement; "they'll jump to conclusions, just like you did. They were only trying to help." From the circled crowd we see people on their phones having recorded what happened. They're gossiping and every so often we hear "X-Men… X-Men…" The security guy puts a knee on the robber. Gambit, Dust and Cyclops take their leave.

In England, Kitty finally has some respite away from students and Mystique takes her chance to approach. She asks Kitty to hear her out, but Kitty phases through the side of the pub and out onto the street. She waves goodbye to Mystique through the window. Mystique eyeballs one of the students that Kitty was talking to. She shapeshifts into him and gets set to leave the pub.

Emma is in the X-Mansion kitchen having breakfast whilst talking to Storm via a monitor. Storm is in Wakanda. She says that she would be honoured to be at the birth of Emma's baby. The two talk and Storm says that she can't commit to becoming a full-time X-Man.

"A lot has changed since D-Day, and I'm set to be married soon, you know this."

Emma says that Storm's marriage to Black Panther is something she deserves, but that she would always have a home at the X-Mansion and she would always be welcome to come and be part of the team. Storm asks of Scott's whereabouts. Emma says that he'd gone to pick up Gambit from the airport, but that they had taken longer than she had expected. There is an alarm going off outside Storm's chambers. She gets off the communication device to go and investigate. At that very moment Scott, Gambit and Dust arrive home.

Storm communicates with members of her Wakanda'n team. She says she wants to know what is responsible for the alarm. Her colleague says that the sound is rare because it signifies a breach.

"Shall I notify T'challa?"

Storm: "No. The King mustn't be disturbed. Find footage of the breacher. I will handle this."

Split screen back to the X-Mansion. Emma, Scott, Remy and Sooraya are all talking in the kitchen, finishing up explaining what happened at the airport. Beast enters and Dust says that she needs to catch up on her prayers. Gambit says he needs a lay-down. Beast says Gambit has the same old room, but that they have a separate place where Sooraya can pray. Emma says that she'll take Sooraya there. Scott pauses with Emma for a moment, saying that he would be heading back out again. He offers her anything that she might crave and she ends up asking for various ice cream flavours, including Hulk-A-Hulk-A-Burning Fudge. Emma asks Scott _not_ to give Valerie a piece of her mind, stating that she would be doing that herself. Scott says that it's important Emma rests. Emma sets to take Sooraya where she can pray. Beast accompanies Gambit to his room.

Split screen back to Wakanda: Storm is at the computer centre of her building. She views footage of what was causing the alarms and sees the slight spark of speed on the screen after having slowed the clip down by 112 million frames. Storm tells her servant to follow his movement frame by frame and to tell her which direction he's headed. Quicksilver is running through the city and then out toward the fields of Wakanda. Thunder and lightning go off and Storm floats to strike the earth with lightning and Quicksilver stops in his tracks. Storm questions what he thinks he's doing, taking what does not belong to him. Pietro says vibranium is worldwide now, it wouldn't make a difference for him to take some right from the source.

"That is known as stealing." T'challa is on the scene. "My love."

Storm creates a lightning forcefield that ensures a circle that traps Quicksilver and Black Panther.

Black Panther: "You are not leaving with our vibranium."

Quicksilver and Black Panther fight. Black Panther wins and as Storm gets the vibranium back, Quicksilver escapes Wakanda. Black Panther tells Storm that they should perhaps have imprisoned him.

Storm says that he's up to something, "but if he wants vibranium from the source, he knows that's now not going to happen. Let him be my King. He's always been a lost soul."

Black Panther: "I must get back to wedding plans."

Storm: "Please do."

Scott Summers enters a government building and goes into a meeting with Valerie Cooper. Scott asks how much the government have invested into Moira's company. Valerie says that she can't disclose that information, but states that the US government aren't the only ones invested. She says that MMM Global Sciences is funded by the seven continents.

"The serum wouldn't even be in production if the UN didn't give it the go ahead."

Scott says that he didn't realise that the project was so big. Valerie says that the initial use of it would be in their state, then the US, then the rest of the world – but Moira herself is pushing for the serum to be released equally worldwide in order for the world to have a balance.

Scott says "how can the United Nations be in favour of this?"

Valerie: "It eliminates the element of surprise Scott. Do you know the number of parents that were terrified when their erratically behaving teenagers would mutate? Some in a good way, but a lot in a bad. This serum could be a Godsend for humans that want to remain as they are and to lead normal lives."

Scott: "But there are no guarantees that there will be mutants born ever again anyway. The flipside of the serum allows for mutants to have mutant babies, to be guaranteed that by their teens, their kids would mutate. It's dangerous and it could lead to militias, armies, mutant nations even."

Valerie: "So what are you suggesting Scott? I call a meeting with Moira and the UN and maybe we can distribute the serum for humans, but hold it back for mutants? That will alienate mutants even more."

Summers is conflicted. He keeps hearing "no more mutants" said by Wanda Maximoff. Valerie reminds Scott that they have worked together in trying to keep mutants safe. It didn't work because the 198 felt like they were prisoners. Now they've separated and intel shows that there wasn't only 198 mutants remaining, it was more like 300. But still, a significantly low number considering there were 16 million mutants on Genosha alone not long ago. Valerie says that what's happening is a decision that comes from the world's most powerful government bodies – and they want to preserve and progress planet earth, not hinder it. Moira's serum allows people to have and make a choice. It makes having mutant babies "normal." Scott asks about those that don't take the serum and then suddenly have a fire-blazing mutant child in their teens. Valerie says that's the part where natural evolution still exists, and those parents would have known from the outset that they're taking a chance by not taking the serum. Yet again; the emphasis is on choice.

Beast is mid-conversation with Gambit in his room. The two seem to be reminiscing. Sand and gravel go under the door and into the room, but then as Gambit takes notice, the sand and gravel exits under the door.

"Sooraya's here. One moment mon chere."

Beast instantly gets up and waits for Gambit to open the door to let him out. He passes Sooraya in the hall.

Gambit: "Sorry Hank. There's a lotta courtesy to consider when in the presence of a Muslim female."

Beast: "As there should be for all women. Please, no need to explain. I am accustomed to many cultures and I know my presence even outside a taken woman's room is direly disrespectful. For that I apologise."

Gambit: "Would you calm down? Sooraya, this is Hank. Hank, Sooraya. De woman that be keeping yours truly in a calm and humble place."

Beast: "Ahh, I'm betting you have to pray for him a lot Sooraya?"

Sooraya: "Every day. Pleased to meet you Hank."

Beast, nodding: "Salaamalaikum." He walks off.

Sooraya: "Wallaikumsalaam."

Gambit: "Haha, what was that? Since when did you know multi-cultural meet and greet huh Beast, you show-off!"

Beast out of view: "Pick up a book Gambit." Gambit and Dust go into their room and close the door.

Mystique as the student meets up with Kitty Pryde. All of a sudden the student leans in to kiss Kitty, but she backs away.

"What on earth? I thought you wanted some more help?"

Before long Mystique transforms into another student and then another. She attacks Kitty, who fights back only out of self defence. Mystique says that she only wants to talk to Kitty. People start passing by and the fight instantly stops so that they don't draw attention. Mystique however is transformed into Kitty. A fellow lecturer at the school stops in their path and sees that Kitty has a twin. The guy goes to greet Kitty and shake the twin's hand.

"Wow, I had no idea you had a twin sister. How lovely to meet you Miss?"

Mystique: "Teeky. The name's Teeky Pryde."

Guy: "Miss Teeky, what an honour. I must say Kitty is a breath of fresh air, a real example to the students of how to see through their books and soak in all their phases of learning."

Mystique: "I bet. But Sir would you mind? I'm only in town for a little while and I sure wanna catch up with my sister."

Guy: "Of course, please don't let me stop you."

Kitty and Mystique walk away from the open scene and Kitty tells Mystique to get lost. Mystique transforms into her blue self and proceeds to blackmail Kitty.

"Hear me out or I'll go smooch that old guy as you and then see where your good graces lie with the rest of the school."

Kitty states that Raven is deplorable, but if hearing her out gets rid of her then "fine."

At the X-Mansion Scott returns home with a selection of salads and wraps from a takeaway food place, as well as ice cream for Emma. He says Gambit and Sooraya must be hungry. They enter the kitchen right on cue, as does Beast. They begin unwrapping the food and Emma says she has a call coming through on the monitor. It's Storm. Storm says that Quicksilver had infiltrated Wakanda and very nearly got away with quite a chunk of vibranium. Gambit says that Pietro's up to something, explaining his encounter with him in India a few days prior.

"He was there to talk to Dust. Said that he wanted her help finding Wanda."

Emma says that she's not certain whether Wanda is even still alive. Gambit says that it wasn't clear how Dust could help locate Wanda, but to then go after vibranium must be a totally different gameplan to what Pietro was trying to achieve in the first place.

Cyclops suggests that there is likely only one person who knows what Quicksilver is up to: "We need to find Magneto."

Gambit asks if Emma could use Cerebro to find him, or even find Quicksilver, but she says that she has had a tough pregnancy and going into an entity like Cerebro could be detrimental to the baby's health.

Emma: "I'm not going to take that chance."

So they decide they need to do things the old fashioned way and to do so, they'd need Wolverine.

Quicksilver is annoyed at the fact that he didn't complete his mission. He gets a call from Mystique.

"I have her," she says. "Kitty's on board."

Pietro: "Really? She actually knows what she's going to help us do?"

Raven: "Not every detail, but that's not important."

Pietro: "You blackmailed her didn't you?"

Raven: "Whatever it takes. You want your sister back don't you?"

Pietro: "Of course. But I don't know if this is the right way of going about it."

Raven: "It's the only way. Unless you have any better ideas?"

Pietro: "I thought I did."

Raven: "What's that supposed to mean?"

Pietro: "Nothing. Are you going to meet me in Egypt?"

Raven: "You're not there?"

Pietro: "I will be long before you."

Raven: "Fair enough. Yes, Kitty and I will meet you in Egypt. Be excited Pietro; we may get back everything that we want."

A clip is shown of pyramids in Giza. The camera dives into the sand surrounding the biggest pyramid. As we zoom through the sand and go deep underground we see the tomb of En Sabah Nur.


	3. Episode 3

EPISODE 3:

Mystique, Quicksilver and Shadowcat are by the biggest pyramid in Giza, The pyramid of Khufu. Mystique orders Kitty to go down below and find out if this is the correct place where they should be. Kitty goes down through the sand and pops back up a few moments later. She says that it's the tomb of El Sabah Nur.

Mystique: "So? What are you waiting for? Wake him!"

Kitty: "What? That's not possible."

Pietro: "Why not?"

Kitty explains that she can't just lie within his bones to regenerate and wake him. Mystique asks her how to wake him. Kitty says that she's a literary teacher and that she's not into science nor history.

Kitty: "Apocalypse is a regenerative mutant, but you guys have no idea of what he could do to this planet if you revive him."

Raven: "That's not your concern. Who would know how to wake him? Don't you see? If he's alive he can restore the world's mutants. He can find Wanda, reunite sister and brother."

Pietro: "We need to get him out of there. I think if we do that it'll at least be a step in the right direction."

Raven: "That's going to be troublesome. How do we know Kitty isn't lying?"

Raven looks around. Kitty is gone.

/

Beast is working on the Blackbird. Emma goes to talk to him. She asks him of his unbiased opinion about Moira's serum.

Emma: "Whatever I say, Scott backs me. You're a scientist and you tend to put things into perspective. Should we be worried?"

Beast says that he thinks the first point of call for Emma and Scott was right; rebuild the X-Men. He says that at least that way, when there is trouble ahead, you're not on your own. Beast says that D-Day came about because of the dysfunction in Magneto's family. The X-Men aren't like that.

Beast: "We've always been there for one another, and now we may need each other more than ever before."

Beast says that whether the X-Men oppose it or not, Moira's serum is backed by the government, so it will go ahead.

"The consequences, are hard to predict."

/

Split screen to Scott, Remy and Sooraya. Sooraya is in a shopping centre while Scott and Remy are in a car in a parking lot. Remy says that he showed her a bunch of YouTube clips and online magazines with Hollywood celebrities.

"Hopefully she gets a sense of how folks dress over here."

Scott: "I'm glad she's doing this. It's better she fits in as much as possible."

Remy: "She won't remove her Niqab though."

Scott: "That's alright. There are plenty of Westernised women rocking jeans and religious wear."

Remy: "Rockin'? Since when dat enter your vocab homme?"

Scott: "I'm having a daughter. I figure I try and understand what a child's speech would entail, to try and talk to her on her level."

Remy looks at him quizzically.

Scott: "What? Too much?"

Remy: "De girl hasn't even been born yet. You're treatin' her as if she already be a demanding teenager."

Scott: "That and I would like to have ponies on her bedroom wall for her. Emma won't allow it. _Don't baby our baby_ she says. And she's not even born yet."

A pause as Gambit laughs under his breath.

Scott: "What?!"

/

We see Quicksilver enter a quiet place. He sees Wanda and he's shocked. He approaches his sister to try and embrace her with his joy, but then she turns into Magneto. And then Mystique. Mystique laughs as she says Pietro needs to stop reacting upon his every emotion. She says that they have a clear mission.

Pietro: "My clear mission, is to get my sister back – that's all I want to do!"

"Yes and I am helping you. Helping the world. And you know who will know how to wake Apocalypse now that we've found him? Your father."

The two argue as Pietro says that he doesn't want anything to do with his dad. Mystique says that Magneto is human.

Pietro: "Then he's more useless now than he ever was!"

Mystique says that Erik would help them revive Apocalypse so that he could get his powers back. Quicksilver reminds Mystique that Magneto killed him and that's why Wanda said "no more mutants" in the first place.

Mystique says "so we trick him. We promise him that we are trying to get the world's mutants back, get Wanda back and his powers too, as long as he tells us how to revive Apocalypse. He'll tell us and then we turn on him."

Pietro: "Turn on him how?"

Raven: "Incarcerate him. Trap him. Whatever. We just make sure he's away from Apocalypse when we wake him. That way he has no say and no way of getting his powers back. Then when Apocalypse finds Wanda we can show her that her dad is normal. Then maybe you all can have the normal family that you crave."

Pietro: "And what will you do? What's your ambition in all of this? You used to serve beside my dad."

Raven: "Yes, and I know the pain of what it's like to lose a family. We can give that to him. I owe him that. After it's done I will have a new purpose; to serve Apocalypse. If he reverses what Wanda did, in fact if he makes it so there are more mutants on the planet than humans, then so be it! We are homo-superior and I'll be damned if I'm spending the rest of my days hiding out and trying to fit in. Why the fuck should I? I'm a mutant and proud of it."

/

Back at the X-Mansion, Emma has lunch ready for the return of Scott, Remy and Sooraya. Sooraya looks ravishing despite having her face covered. Emma is bluntly envious.

Emma: "I bet there's a candidate for Miss Universe under there."

Hank joins them for lunch and they discuss the whereabouts of Wolverine.

Emma says that Logan hadn't been spotted in obvious places: "I made a few calls as you know. He's not stuck around here, he's not in New York, LA or Texas. I'm guessing he's gone up north."

Hank says that he has ensured the Blackbird has enough fuel backup, a power generator "and even solar panels. If we get shot out of the air, we may be able to have a stable landing with the power of the sun."

Sooraya: "You all have been shot down before?"

They all respond in turn, nodding, agreeing and Cyclops saying "many times."

Emma says that she learned all of Wolverine's history from Charles when she initially became and X-Man. This means that she can have an educated guess or two as to where he may be or where he may have been spotted.

"But my own research and calls have led to nothing so it does look as if we're going to have to track him down another way. Perhaps begin our search where he may have started." Emma suggests that the team start with the Canadian government.

We go into a split screen, but with Emma still voicing over in order to advise. She says that Logan worked for the Canadian government after he was Weapon X. There is where he had a home, where he had a team that genuinely cared for him. Emma assumes that their HQ might've been the first place he went for answers.

Back to the X-Mansion; Beast suggests that Emma joins them so that she can filter through who may or may not be lying to them when they ask questions. Scott says that Emma will stay at home due to her pregnancy being so far down the line. "She needs her rest."

Remy voiceover as the screen splits back to the Canada scene: "Wow. We really are doing this the old fashioned way."

Cyclops, Beast, Gambit and Dust are stepping off the Blackbird having landed outside a government building in Canada. Cyclops reminds them that they're only there to ask questions and find out if anyone has seen Wolverine.

/

Quicksilver is on a plane. A woman comes and sits beside him. We can tell by her eyes that it's Mystique.

Pietro: "I still don't know how you're so casual about such things."

Raven: "What do you mean?"

Pietro: "Changing. Turning into whoever you need to be in order to get what you want. You do it with such ease."

Raven: "I wasn't your father's right hand for nothing. Besides, the human part of us means we all have limits. Even you, who can run on top of water from one country to another would need a rest at some point. I too can't keep my desired shape unless I am fully concentrated. That's why right now I'm putting my coat over my head and I'm going to sleep. If there's a problem and you wake me, say the name on my passport (she hands Pietro her purse) and I'll become her as soon as I wake."

Raven turns in her seat and puts her coat over herself, immediately turning to her true blue self. Pietro looks in her purse; lip balm, throat sweets and a passport. He opens the passport and to him the name/image of the woman is unrecognisable. The audience immediately recognise her as the singer Iggy Azalea. (Pop culture reference. Iggy is of Australian fame and Raven and Pietro are headed to Australia).

/

Remy, Sooraya, Scott and Beast walk out of the Canadian government building.

Remy: "Well that was a waste of time."

Scott: "We had to ask."

Hank: "Seems like the staff in there were very tightly wound. I don't think they liked us very much."

Scott: "I think they'd seen their fair share of trouble Hank."

Remy: "Naw, Hank's right. Seemed like they be hidin' de fact dat Logan been here. As if he had caused a ruckus and now, that's why they be scared."

Hank: "Perhaps I should not have gone in. My appearance can't have helped our enquiry."

Scott: "I get where you're both coming from, but any human has their guard up against any mutant. Despite our innocent intentions, they have a right to feel scared. And Hank, they'd have seen my visor to know that I wasn't playing Robocop. Mutants are still a part of the world and a government building should be a place where mutants are safe. Having said all that, I think Gambit's right. There's no way Logan hasn't been here."

Dust: "Could it be that it's a simple case of timing? Maybe the staff on duty now were not on duty when your friend arrived."

Scott: "Maybe. If we could see their CCTV footage, maybe that would help."

Remy: "They wouldn't just let us see it though."

Hank: "Aah, I can be of use here. We have a data cloning device that I conveniently installed onto the Blackbird. It's quite simple in it's action, but we would have to get inside the building and insert a USB into their CCTV drive. The USB would clone the footage and we'd hopefully find what we're looking for. Getting to their security office to plant the drive would be the obstacle."

The group had been walking toward the town and into a café.

They take their seats as Dust says that she could get into the building unnoticed. They begin devising a plan as Remy waves over the waitress to take their order and the scene splits back to Emma in the X-Mansion.

/

Emma is talking aloud as we see her in Charles' office going through some of his teachings. She's communicating with Ororo. We hear Ororo's voice and cut to where she is in Wakanda.

"Pietro's not silly. He changed his clothes as soon as he left here. The tracker stopped in a hotel not far from here, but then stayed there for days. He must be changing while he is moving." Storm is in her palace, running her fingers through material of various wedding dresses.

We hear Emma: "Meaning that he doesn't want to be found nor followed. More to the point, he doesn't want anyone to stop him from his mission. I imagine he has a purpose, but it's unclear as to what it could be."

Ororo: "He didn't let on. In hindsight I should have had my King make him answer some questions before he left."

Emma: "Your focus is elsewhere I'm sure. The wedding plans are well?"

Ororo: "They are, but I'm not into any of these dresses. I think I will travel down south. Find something more authentic."

Emma: "You will make the dress glow Ororo. I don't think any dress would be worthy of you."

Ororo: "My King says the same. But he is anxious, not to let me out of here."

Emma: "Let you?"

Ororo: "Mmm, it's not a discussion. I will go. His guards can accompany me if that makes him feel better."

Emma: "You've always been strong. I doubt T'challa has a thing to worry about."

Ororo: "Worrying is all he knows. Me in a certain dress, I hope, will give him only our passions to worry about."

Emma: "Alright Ororo, please, change subject. Scott and I are hands-off until the baby is born and neither of us are dealing with it too well. Wedding nights and honeymoons are not on my let's talk list."

We cut back to Emma, who's going through a contact book of Xavier's.

Ororo via the communication device: "Fair enough. Have you found what you were looking for?"

Emma: "Well I didn't really know what I was looking for. More clues I guess, to where Logan might be."

She opens the contact book and sees a number of names and addresses. Some of the names have 'AKA' and a mutant alias beside them.

Ororo: "And?"

Emma: "And I may have something here. In fact this may help us continue our revival of the X-Men."

Ororo: "How so?"

Emma: "Xavier's contact book. It seems to have everyone that was here's first address."

Ororo: "Everyone that was there? The X-Men?"

Emma: "The X-Men and the students. Xavier kept this as a log of mutants' origins I think. Maybe a way to give those that were here a way home or something."

Ororo: "Are there just the mutants and their addresses?"

Emma: "Mostly, yeah. But some have parents' names too." Emma flicks through the log and comes across Colossus.

/

Back at the café, the group have eaten through lunch and their plan is in place of what to do. We split screen to Beast, Cyclops and Gambit being in the Blackbird. That then split screens to sand and gravel travelling along the floor as if being swept by wind outside the Canadian government building. Sooraya in Dust form, moves herself up side of the entrance door and waits until it opens to a staff member. She snakes her way into the building, noticeably away from the line of vision of any staff or cameras. From Dust's snakey point of view we see how she makes her way through the building.

We hear Beast voicing over from the Blackbird: "She knows where to go. If the blueprints to the building are correct, she shouldn't have a problem finding the security office."

Dust indeed does find the security office and she waits until the door opens before she can get in. Meanwhile via voiceover we hear Gambit's concerns.

"This is taking too long."

Cyclops: "She has a comms device. She'll be fine. As soon as she's in she'll let us know. Hank has to talk her through the CCTV processing."

Gambit: "But what's taking so long? What if a janitor has swept her up or something?"

Beast: "Relax Gambit. It's a government facility so I would expect all entrances and exits to be air tight. She may be having to wait for doors to open before making any moves."

As Beast proclaims this, Dust makes her way into the security office and turns herself back to natural form, turning on her communication device.

"I'm in."

She sits by the monitors and looks at the computer system.

Beast on comms: "Great Sooraya. Now don't insert the USB yet. We have to ensure we have the correct footage. Look at the top left of the main screen and hover over the box up there."

Dust does so and we see a drop-down menu: "Ok. There are options."

Beast: "Good. Go to Archives and once the pop-up box is on screen, it will allow you to type in a date from and a date to. We need the dates from March last year, to May. That should be sufficient enough for us to find Wolverine."

Dust: "Ok, that's done."

Beast: "Now go to export and then you can insert the USB."

Dust does as instructed, but when she inserts the USB the screen flickers and the building alarm goes off. Dust looks around at first and then realises that security guards would be fast on their way back to that office. She transforms into sand and gravel and drops out of sight as security guards rush into the office. There are three of them and they go to the main CCTV computer as we notice Dust in gravel form on the ceiling above the guards' heads. From her point of view we hear them converse.

"There was someone in here. A USB, the system thinks it's a virus."

"Is it?"

"No. It looks like a transmitting device."

The guards look at the CCTV screen.

"Someone was trying to steal footage from these dates."

We see from Dust's point of view that a much larger figure has come into the shadow of the door to the office. We hear sniffing. Once. Twice. The door closes. We see a silhouette of the figure that's just entered.

Sniff… "The thief's still here."

From inside the Blackbird Cyclops, Beast and Gambit can hear that the government building security alarm has sounded. Their communications with Dust are unavailable while she is in Dust form. Gambit looks like he's in a panic as he gets playing cards out of his pocket. Beast gets out of his seat and Cyclops prepares himself to exit the Blackbird.

Cyclops: "All they need is a distraction. As long as the doors keep opening, Dust'll be able to get out of the building."

Gambit: "Hank, you didn't know there'd be a detection thing on their computers?"

Beast: "Contrary to what you may believe, I don't know everything Gambit."

Cyclops: "Whether we like it or not, we've got action X-Men. Let's keep this as peaceful as possible."

The screen goes black and all we hear is a sniff.


	4. Episode 4

EPISODE 4:

Sniff. Sniff. We fade in to exploding playing cards thrown by Gambit and acrobatic moves from Beast. Cyclops is controlling his visor to enable blast beams in Gambit's direction and there's all sorts of commotion as the Canadian government complex floods out with staff. It seems like Cyclops, Beast and Gambit are fighting one another.

/

In the security office of the building we see the fight being played out on their monitors. We are zoomed in on a grizzly face, recognisable from the comic books. Even the hair is scruffy enough to stand out, revealed as the camera zooms out. He's smartly kitted in dark ops government military gear. No camouflage, but grey, tight to the skin and almost with a metallic shine.

"You don't have a way out of here," he says. "Are you going to show yourself or shall I gas this room and smoke you out?" No movement nor response in the room.

Back outside, Cyclops, Gambit and Beast continue their skirmish.

In the security office; "I don't have a lot of patience lady."

He looks at the monitors and squints his eyes as he sees his former friends fighting on the lawn.

Security guy: "Sir. Shall we" –

"Quiet… look, whoever you are, they're not trying to kill each other, they're looking to get everyone's attention so that you can find a way out. But it's not going to work, so why don't you stop wasting my time and theirs and we can go out to stop this nonsense."

In a swift motion Dust forms into her normal state, out of the sand and gravel that had been crawling around the security office. The guards and the hairy man look almost mesmerised by her beauty.

"The Wolverine" states Dust.

"Ain't no 'the' about it. What am I a red London soccer team that used to be good? What the fuck do you want here? Why have you snuck in?"

Dust: "I think it may be better for you to get your answers from our friends?"

Back outside; Gambit: "This ain't working homme. I'm gonna end up hurtin' one of you here."

Beast, laughing: "On the contrary Gambit, for you to strike me down would be quite a surprise as you haven't gotten within millimetres of me yet."

The camera pans to Cyclops and over his shoulder we see Wolverine and Dust emerge on the steps outside the entrance of the Canadian government complex.

"Hey!" James Logan barks, "why don't you all get back to work?" to his colleagues.

A number of them walk past and around him and Dust as the two of them step down toward the lawn. The skirmish stops as Cyclops and Wolverine acknowledge one another.

/

We cut to Pietro and Raven on their plane journey to Australia. Raven is still covered in a jacket and Pietro is sat flicking through radio stations via the plane's on-board entertainment system. He looks toward Raven, seeing the blue of her shoulder. Restless, he skips out of his seat and speeds through the alley all the way to the cockpit. Everything's in slow motion for the viewer to emphasize how fast Pietro is going. He looks pleased to see the various lights and buttons, seemingly with an expression telling us that he'd never thought of wandering into a cockpit before. He notices a pack of Jelly Beans in the pilot's hand. In an instant we see him zoom back to his seat, smiling as he puts a Jelly Bean in his mouth. He has a hand full of them and seems pretty pleased with himself.

/

We're inside the Canadian government building with Scott, Hank, Remy, Sooraya and Logan. They're in a large office with a board-room-type table in the middle. Remy is sat with his feet up, Sooraya on a chair next to him. Beast is stood looking out a window. Scott and Logan converse the most.

Logan: "So you come here looking for what? Footage?"

Scott: "Look Logan it's not like that. We were after the footage to try and track you down. We figured you'd been here on your search, for whatever it was you were looking for."

Logan: "So you found me. You found a newbie too?" He walks around the table. "Sooraya was it? You been with this lazy schmuck and already he's taught you to steal?"

Remy: "Actually mon ami, she be de one dat stole my heart."

Logan shakes his head and walks over to Hank. They give a look to one another as Logan then swiftly turns back toward Scott.

"Can somebody please get to the fucking point and tell me what you want here?"

Scott: "You Logan. We need you. There was an incident with Quicksilver where he almost stole vibranium."

Logan: "Vibranium, from where?"

Scott: "The source. Wakanda."

Logan: "How did that damn well happen. Storm, is she still there?"

Hank, turning away from the window and toward the table: "Ororo's there and she's ok. She'll want you at the wedding you know."

Logan: "Wedding, what wedding?"

Remy: "You hadn't heard?"

Logan: "I've been working, here, undercover."

Scott: "You might've heard if you'd ever keep in contact with any of us."

Hank: "Ororo is set to marry T'challa. The Black Panther."

Logan looks surprised, but then eyeballs Scott. "So? Storm's fine. What do you need me for?"

Scott: "We need to find Erik."

Logan immediately shakes his head and turns away.

Scott: "We need to find Magneto, if we do, it could lead to answers as to where Quicksilver is, what his plans are and why he needed vibranium."

Logan: "And what, I'm supposed to sniff him out. Track him down?"

Scott: "That's exactly why we need your help, yes."

Hank: "It's an easy enough mission James."

Logan, looking at Scott: "Is that it? Just the mission? I notice you're all here as a team. So what, you don't want me on the team, you only wanna use me for your mission? You know how many times I been used in my life Scott?!"

Scott stands up and fronts up to Logan: "You obviously have a life here. I didn't think you'd want to give this up and move back to the mansion with us."

Logan: "That's a load of bull. You made that conclusion in the few moments that you been in this room? You're up your own ass, but you're not that fuckin' smart."

Sooraya: "Shall we leave the room?"

Hank: "That might be a good idea."

Logan: "Stay! I won't be held accountable if rip this dick's head off."

Remy takes his feet off the table and takes Sooraya's hand. Hank addresses them: "Go. I'll referee here." Remy and Sooraya leave the room as Scott and Logan are pretty much nose to nose.

/

We join Sooraya and Remy walking down the hall. We notice they have lanyards on, with Visitor Passes to the building. Sooraya hurries along, keeping up with Remy.

"Where are we going?"

Remy: "Food. There gotta be a canteen in this place."

They walk and talk, but still a little fast. Sooraya pulls on Remy's hand.

"Can you slow down? Are you alright?"

Remy stops. He turns to her and loosens his grip on her hand. They walk, much slower now.

Remy: "One of the things that had the X-Men so far apart is de fact that there always be someone thinkin' they right. It was all much simpler back in the day." They walk and find the entrance to the staff canteen.

/

In the office, Scott and Logan are in a heated argument.

Scott: "You left us and went your own way. What did you find, what did you discover huh? Everything that you already knew?!"

Logan: "See, see that's the biggest difference between you and Charles. Charles had compassion."

Scott: "And I had a mission. The mission was to get humanity to accept mutantkind, in order to build a cohesive and tolerant world."

Logan: "And Charles wanted the exact same thing, but he looked after those of us that were with him, including you!"

Scott: "I know that, but I always made sure we completed our tasks in the field. There were tough calls, but we all have the right to live Logan."

Logan: "Live? Live, is that what you call being an X-Man? In your perfect world, there is no living. You're with Emma fuckin' Frost. You don't have who you said was your true love!"

Scott waits and ponders what Logan's said. "Jean? This is about Jean? That's why you're angry?"

Logan: "She wasn't in the alternate universe or world or whatever the fuck Wanda put us in. You were with Emma. Why? Why weren't you with Jean? Why wasn't she alive? You both professed your love for one another, so in your perfect world you'd be with her and in her perfect world she'd at least be alive!"

Hank, much calmer: "We had no say in how we lived under Wanda's universe James."

Logan: "Yeah, so?"

Hank: "So you weren't with Jean in that world either. Our beloved Jean was a danger. And even in a perfect world, she had no place in it."

Logan, points his finger at Scott: "And you're fine with that?!"

Scott: "What do you expect me to do about it? I miss Jean, of course I do, but what should I do? Rot? Be miserable and bitter like you?"

Logan: "Hey bub, I have a purpose here. I travelled and walked and talked to a lot of people, some had answers, some didn't, but then I found my way back here and they gave me a job, a purpose, a life. I get paid and I have my independence, so fuck you with your selfish move-on-and-fuck-a-blonde intentions."

Scott rushes toward Logan and throws a punch. Logan hits him back and the two of them wrestle over the table and onto the ground. Hank comically shakes his head: "Oh come on you two, stop it."

/

In the canteen Remy and Sooraya are sat with sandwiches and hot beverages.

Remy: "That's why Scott was so mad at Xavier. He always thought that with Xavier's power, he should have known a way of protecting Jean from becoming the Phoenix. They argued thereafter and the Prof' was continuing as normal. I think that irked Scott. Wolverine always had a crush on Jean and he knew Charles was right, but he didn't take it easy. The X-Men were torn apart, some staying local and others going far away. When everything happened with Decimation Day, Charles was gone. We still don't know if he is alive, anywhere, but Scott took on the responsibility and while the partnership with the government didn't work, he's now putting the team back together. But I worry. I don't know if we'll ever follow him as we did Charles."

Sooraya: "He is trusted?"

Remy: "Yeah. But personalities like Wolverine don't help. De animal is impulsive, whereas Scott thinks things through. It's probably why he ain't askin' Wolvie back on the team. Maybe he don' trust him enough to take orders. A guy like Scott doesn't want to have to babysit a loose canon as well as worry about a war."

Sooraya moves her chair closer to Remy's. "You're not certain you want to be here?"

Remy: "It's not that. I buy the team, I like the idea of being home. But if James and Scott can't get along then we yeah, we may be better off without'm."

Sooraya puts her head to Remy's temple. "From what I can see, it's two brothers, with egos. But from your affection to them, and Beast's, I think we allow them to prove worth to themselves. I believe the rest of the group will benefit."

Remy sighs, worried still. "Charles was the balance. He knew when to attack, when to hold back. If anything happens on the fly and those two try overrule each other" –

Sooraya: "Hey. It's ok. Give them time. A chance. A team of leaders is stronger than a one man team."

/

Scott and Logan are in a full-on grapple-fest, with neither of them using their powers, but they do much to damage the office (conference room). Hank, having watched them for a little while, finally gets between them.

"Enough!" he throws Wolverine toward the wall and chokeslams Cyclops to the table. "Enough! Both of you. James you're making issues out of things in the past that we cannot control. And Scott, we cannot outcast anybody no matter how hot-headed they may be."

Logan gets up and dusts himself down: "Who are you callin' hot-headed blue Jesus?"

Hank helps Scott up.

Scott: "Look, he's right. I'm sorry Logan. We do need you, for the mission and for the team. We've never gotten along and we barely ever agree with each other, so there was a part of me that thought you'd say no to coming back because I'm calling the shots. And I would understand that."

Logan: "I never said I wanted to come back!"

Hank: "Easy, James, calm."

Scott: "I would welcome you if you did. And you'd be an asset in living and teaching at the mansion again. God knows we haven't had the school up and running since Decimation Day."

Logan: "So what do you do? How do you make ends meet?"

Hank: "I have access to Charles' finances. He set up an account in my name many years ago. There's enough in it for hundreds of mutants' welfare, growth and well-being. Including ourselves. But some of us do work outside. I myself have been employed by schools, research foundations, charities and even Tony Stark believe it or not."

Logan: "And what are you?"

Scott: "I've been in and out of jobs. Personal Trainer most recently. I get bored doing the same routines every day."

Logan: "And Emma?"

Scott: "Psychiatrist."

Logan: "'course she is."

Scott: "The point is we have enough financially and no one is stopping you from having a job, if that's what you want. But you're an X-Man, you always have been. I propose a clean slate. I'm asking you to help us in finding Magneto. Pietro's up to no good and Erik's the only one that would know what he may be thinking. Whether you stay or leave thereafter is totally up to you. I won't encourage you or stop you either way. Fair?"

Logan looks at Scott and steps toward him. The two shake hands as Hank nods in approval in the background.

/

Back on the plane it's dark and the journey has some turbulence. Raven wakes up, (as Australian star Iggy Azalea) and asks Pietro if "the wine trolley had passed yet."

There's more turbulence and all the seatbelt signs are on. All of a sudden a man in the middle isle stands and pulls a backpack out from under his seat. "Everybody, this is where the journey ends!"

Pietro watches the guy reach into his backpack and pull out a trigger, but as the guy is about to push the button, Pietro is over to him (we see him at full speed while everything else is slow motion) and he snatches the backpack away, putting the trigger back in the bag, kicking the guy to his seat and then rushing around the plane to come back with wire and rope and scarves to tie the guy to his seat. Then he punches him to knock him out.

Pietro zooms to the cockpit to talk to the pilot. Everything returns to normal speed and we watch as Pietro tells the pilot that there was a disturbance on the plane and that the pilot should radio for police as they land. The pilot asks what's going on, but Pietro says that the passengers are fine and unaware of anything except turbulence. The pilot nods, taking Pietro's word for it.

Pietro speeds back to his seat and hands Raven a miniature bottle of wine. She opens it as the turbulence eases.

"What the hell was that? Why's that guy tied to his seat?"

Other passengers murmur around the guy and the people who were sat either side of him move elsewhere on the plane. Pietro smiles and holds his cup out to Raven, but she's already finished the miniature bottle. Pietro has the guy's backpack in his lap. He opens it to show Raven, who consequently spits out her wine in shock.

"What the fuck!?"

Pietro: "Shhhh, shhh, relax. It's what the guy had. I snagged it and told the pilot to call the cops as we land. It's fine."

Raven whispers loudly: "Fine? Fine? Does the pilot know there's a b" –

Pietro: "Bird! Yeah a bird got swallowed by the thrusters, that's why the turbulence, you're right there my lover. Hey how about a smooch?"

Pietro leans over Raven with his tongue out. She pushes him off sternly saying "fuck off… get that thing away from me." Pietro sits back, relaxes and opens a bag of pretzels. Raven shakes her head.


	5. Episode 5

EPISODE 5:

We see Ororo considerably dressed down from when we had seen her in previous episodes. She's about to board a ship. Shuri is with her.

"I don't understand. This isn't necessary. We can get you anything you want here."

Ororo: "I know, but that's not the issue. I don't know what I want. So if I see it and feel it, from the place of my mother's birth I think I will wholeheartedly be able to choose something."

Shuri: "But T'Challa, he won't be pleased that you're gone."

Ororo: "I have left a video message for him. He will understand." Ororo begins walking onto the ship. "Besides, I'll probably be back by the time he sees the message."

Shuri: "Be safe Storm."

Ororo looks back and smiles: "I will."

We see the ship exiting the dock. A gap opens in the dome-like protective roof that covers Wakanda. The ships goes through the gap.

On the ship, we see Ororo sat and she's going through pictures on her phone. The audience can tell that they are photos taken of developed photographs and that Ororo has taken digital snaps so that she has a way of keeping her parents close to her. We can see that she has two guards with her as well as the pilot.

/

Raven is in a hotel room. Pietro rushes into the room having been running at full speed.

Raven: "So? Did you find him this time?"

Pietro goes to the sink and opens the tap, leaning over to guzzle water. "You know, I didn't realise how hot it is over here. And the outback? There's a lot of it. A lot, a lot of it."

Raven: "So that's a no then."

Pietro: "No. I found something. It was private and had locals be very guarded of the place. I couldn't get in to vet it properly, but you could."

Raven: "Locals?"

Pietro: "Yeah. Exactly. It was strange. It didn't seem like a habitable place. There were no grocery stores or anything that could even pass as a safe place to sleep. But they were in good health. And it looked like they were protecting something. I figure if you mask as their locals, you could get to the parts I couldn't." Pietro sits down. "I can run us there, but it's a long way away. I'm gonna need a minute."

/

Fading out from black we hear Scarlet Witch's voice; "No more mutants" and Emma Frost wakes up with a minor scream. Scott is next to her and he sits up beside her. It's dark out. Dawn not yet having hit their home.

Emma: "That fucking nightmare."

Scott: "It's alright."

Emma: "It's not! What if I am projecting these memories onto our baby? What if she has the same recurring dreams that I do? Oh my f- what if her first words are _no more mutants_!?"

Scott turns on their bedside light: "Emma, Emma, shhhh, it's alright."

Emma: "Scott you don't know. The anxieties and worries. I hate all this uncertainty."

Scott: "That's motherhood."

Emma: "But I'm calm. I'm solid diamond, unbreakable, and unmatched. I don't like this I" – Scott holds her hand and kisses her fingertips.

"Emma. The mutant part of you is calm and unbreakable. The human part of you worries, just like any mom. But your concerns are amplified because of all the dangers we have faced and will face in the future. But you're alright. You have me, you have a family. We have a home. It will all be alright."

Emma puts her head to Scott's shoulder. She mumbles: "Don't you tell anyone about this Summers. If anyone talks of hearing screams I'll tell'm you were freaking out 'cause of a spider."

Scott chuckles and he slips into the duvet to lay down, with Emma laying on his arm. "I'm sure they'll believe that."

/

We see the pilot of Ororo's aircraft. "We've arrived Miss Munroe. Are we to head straight into town?"

Ororo: "No. Settle us outside in the fields. We will get a cab from there. Best not alert the locals and create a gathering of any kind. I'm not here as a celebrity."

Pilot: "Very well Miss Munroe." Ororo sits back in her seat, belting herself up for the landing. She pulls her hood over her head.

/

We split-screen back to Raven and Pietro. Pietro has Raven in a cradled position. He's running as fast as he can, we can tell by the fact that their surroundings pass in slow-motion. They stop all of a sudden and Raven darts away from Pietro, puking behind a bunch of rocks.

Pietro: "Ergh, that's gross."

Raven: "Be quiet unless you want some of this gunk in your face."

Pietro turns his attention to the sandy scene past some bigger rocks. We see from his point of view as he tells Raven that this is the area he was talking about. It seemed like there were villagers talking and eating by a fire outside only a couple of huts. "That's the one with guards. You think you can get in?"

Raven looks over the rocks: "I should be able to, but you need to snatch one of those people. I need to see their face so I can be one of them. The guards need to recognise me or else they won't let me through."

Pietro: "Alright, so what I just snag'm and bring'm here? Or shall I take a photo or something?"

Raven: "Wait, look. Something's happening."

They watch as members of the community begin walking toward the main hut. They all seem to be going in a minor hurry. Then eventually the guards go in the building too.

Pietro: "What's going on?"

Raven: "Maybe a ritual? A prayer of some kind."

Pietro: "What, like a cult? This guy Gateway leads a cult?!"

We zoom in on Pietro and hear a new voice: "I do not."

Pietro: "What was that?"

Raven doesn't answer him as she keeps looking toward the huts for more activity.

A voice to Pietro: "I am of a culture, but I am not God, nor am I leading a cult."

Pietro runs back and forth for a moment. "Aaaah, aah!"

Raven turns to see him: "Pietro, what the f-?"

Zinging back and forth, "there's something weird going on. Aaah, get it out of me, there's a voice in my head!"

Raven stands up: "What the hell are you talking about?"

Voiceover: "He's talking about me Miss Darkholme. I assume you are here to talk to me? If so, please enter where my friends entered my building."

Raven watches Pietro zinging back and forth. "Pietro, Pietro calm down!"

He stops, eyeballing Raven. "What was that?"

Raven: "Relax. I think that's him. That's Gateway."

Pietro: "Well did you know he could get in our heads?"

Raven: "I did not. But he's not responsive to our thoughts, he responds to our voices."

Pietro: "Ok, so what's that mean?"

Raven takes her phone out of her pocket and begins typing. She holds it up to show Pietro. _We have to be careful. This could be a trap. _Pietro's about to speak, but Raven instead passes him her phone.

He types: _So let's get far away from here, come back with a plan? _

Raven types: _No. Then he'll know we're onto him. Run in the hut. There are no guards, just see what's inside. _

Pietro does as instructed and he speeds into the hut, runs around it and zooms back out by the rocks to Raven.

Raven waves her arms and mouths "well? What's happened?"

Pietro takes her phone and types: _Nothing. It's empty. _

Raven: "It can't just be empty!"

Gateway voicing over: "It's not empty. I am in the hut. I have moved my people away as a means of protection. We do not know your intentions and so we must be careful at all times. Enter and talk, or please leave us be. Raven and Pietro look at one another wondering what they should do.

/

Emma is pushed off Scott, still before dawn.

Scott: "I'm sorry Emma I can't."

Emma: "What's the matter? Is it because my baby-bump's bigger?" Emma slips her vest back on.

Scott: "In a way, it's to do with the baby, but not to do with you. I just wanna make sure she's alright."

Emma: "You can do that by looking after her mother."

Scott: "It's difficult for me. I feel like I would be intruding on the baby's space."

Emma: "Scott honey, you're not that big."

Scott: "I'm big enough to make it painful for you, so stop."

Emma: "Ooh a little thunder with that lightning, wanna make me clap Summers?"

Scott slides himself away from Emma and out of bed. "No." He holds a pillow over his crotch and then throws it at Emma. "Go back to sleep," he commands, as he exits the bedroom.

Emma pouts, punches the pillow and lets out a yelp. Her hair scruffy and she looks uncharacteristically messy.

/

Ororo is in a taxi with two guards sat either side of her. She notices that the lights say 'go' down the road, but the traffic wasn't moving. "There seems to be a problem?"

One of the guards puts his head out the window and then quickly back in again. He rolls the window up and instructs the driver to lock all their doors. "There are thieves Miss Munroe. They're stealing from cars in traffic and they're carrying weapons."

Storm: "Let me out."

Guard: "Miss Munroe, it's best not to be in a storm before such a big day coming up. Pardon the pun."

Storm: "I said out please gentlemen. Do as your future Queen commands."

A guard reluctantly gets out of the vehicle and Storm follows. She looks down the street and sees three armed car-jackers. Her eyes turn pure white as she holds up her arms. "I Storm, Mistress of the Elements command the; leave those people alone!"

Her voice seems to echo down the street as the goons turn to see her. Storm begins to levitate and as she does there is thunder and lightning behind her. "Be gone hooligans!" She says, but they begin shooting. Storm waves her arm and lightning strikes by the feet of one of the thugs. She waves the other arm and there is a gust of wind that discombobulates the other two. They shoot toward her more, but the tornado that's forming around her seems to swallow the bullets and protect her from any impact. She lands at the feet of the leading goon.

"Storm. What the? Didn't you die?"

Storm picks up the gunman's weapon and has bolts of lightning come from her hands to demolish it. "Not all mutants died, fool. Now return their possessions and let this be the last of any trouble you make."

Another goon is seen from the other side of the car. "Ha! Storm, big deal." We see that the guy has a little girl in his arms.

The mother from the car is crying out: "my baby! No, no please, let her go, give her back!" The guy by Storm gets up and rushes to be by his two buddies. "We've hit the jackpot here. Look at you, the bravado and the elegance. How about that necklace, or the rings. Give us them and we'll go!"

Storm: "I was going to let you go, but now you must all be incarcerated. How dare you use an innocent child!"

Goon: "Oh please, what're you going to do? You can't strike us, not with the kid in our arms. Now you heard what he said. The diamonds, give'm here!"

Storm eyeballs all three goons wondering if there was a safe way of getting the child back. She calms the winds behind her. "You must let the girl go. Return her, then you can have the necklace."

Goon: "As if we are stupid? Necklace first, then the father can come with us. As soon as we are away, we'll let them both go."

Storm: "Or shoot them dead in the street. Why does this place never get any better? You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

Suddenly there's movement under the first goon as a figure comes up from out of the ground. It's Shadowcat! She uppercuts the goon and catches the little girl, clutching her with both arms and running to the car, phasing through it and putting the child back under her seatbelt.

The girl's mother yelps "oh thank God."

Storm reaches her hands up and shoots three lightning bolts right at each goon. They fall back, stunned and having dropped their weapons. Shadowcat goes over and phases a body part of each of them into the ground. Their elbows, leg or wrists. They can't get up. Storm goes over and sets small tornado's around their faces so that they become so dizzy that they fall asleep. Shadowcat appears up through the ground by Storm's side. There are people applauding from their cars, whistling too. Storm's guards come running, late for the action. They see Ororo and Kitty as they hug.

Storm: "Oh it's so good to see you."

Kitty: "You too! Where have you been? I've been in town for days looking for you. Don't you live here?"

Guard: "Miss Munroe, Miss Munroe, we really must be on our way. Media outlets will arrive no doubt and all these people have seen you."

Ororo: "I certainly don't want to do any impromptu interviews. Ok." She shouts "can somebody call the police? Make sure you are witnesses to testify for what happened here!"

There's a pause as the majority of the cars begin driving away from the scene.

Kitty can't believe it: "Wait what? Where's everybody going?"

The parents of the little girl come over, with the girl in arms. "They're scared. The community here always has to be careful. We do not know to which group the thugs belong. Please. Accept our thanks, but we cannot comply. We must leave."

Ororo shakes her head as the family get back in the car: "Some things never change."

Guard: "Miss Munroe, we must leave too. If the public get wind of this before your wedding then too many questions will be asked."

Kitty: "So they're just going to get away with it? They held a kid hostage! Wait, wedding?" Ororo smiles at Kitty. Kitty leaps toward her to embrace: "Ohhh my gosh. Amazing, I'm so happy for you. Who's the luckiest man alive?"

Guard: "Our King, de Black Panther, T'Challa."

Ororo: "I can speak for myself gentlemen. (To Kitty) We have to catch up. What are you doing here? You were in search of me?"

Kitty: "Yeah and it's not good. You were the most trusted and closest person I could turn to. There's something terrible that's about to happen."

Ororo looks at the goons. "Guards, take these three out of the ground and lock them up in Wakanda."

Guard: "But Miss Munroe, your trip?"

Ororo: "I am to remain here. I'll be fine. My friend will look after me yes?" looking at Kitty.

"You bet. Of course, Queen T'Challa." Kitty salutes.

Guard: "That's not how it's said!"

Second guard: "You must bow!"

Kitty seems ready to bow, but Ororo laughs; "No no, enough. Come Shadowcat, we can talk while you help me choose a wedding dress."

/

Back at the hut we see that Pietro and Raven have stepped inside. They look around and cannot see anything until there is a blast of circular fire. Out of it steps an aged man. His skin looks like he's a man hundreds of years old, yet his ability to walk has no limp nor hindrance. The circular fire acts as a portal and closes as he sits down. He doesn't speak, but asks via his mind: "Why do you come here?"

Raven: "We're here to ask for your help. We need to locate a man that used to be a mutant. We thought you could take us to him."

Gateway: "Why? Who is this man and why should I help you?"

Pietro: "Magneto. He's my dad."

Gateway: "The famous Erik Lehnsherr. You want to find him because?"

Raven starts talking, but Pietro interrupts: "to help him get his powers back. He's one of the most influential and historical mutants in history. It's wrong that he's nothing but a mere human now."

Gateway: "And the objective if he retrieves his powers?"

Raven: "Erm…"

Pietro: "Ahh, peace! Of course. And er, he he doesn't know I'm his son. I can run real fast, but I think he'll feel emasculated if I show off my skills to him. I don't want him to be a broken man, I just want him to be whole again. Please? We need to find him that's all."

Gateway elevates off the ground and the circular fiery portal opens. "Wait here." He floats backward and through the portal.

Raven hits Pietro on the arm. "Ow!"

"What was that? Bullshit much?!"

Pietro: "Argh, you're so violent. What were you going to do, threaten him? Look around you. He's an old man with literally nothing to lose. You gotta learn to read a room. A sappy father-son story pulls at the heart-strings. I mean look at the guy, he's probably outlived all his kids."

Raven: "Shhh!"

The circle re-opens and Gateway comes back through. He communicates to their minds: "I take you to where Mr. Erik Lehnsherr is, and you have no reason to return here?"

Raven: "Yeah. Correct."

Pietro: "Absolutely. We didn't mean to disturb your peace."

Gateway: "Follow me."

He floats back through the fiery circle and Raven and Pietro gingerly step through it. They're in a much foggier place than they were before. Gateway allows them space to look around as he floats himself back through the fiery circle.

Pietro: "Where are we?" The camera zooms out as Gateway exits through the portal.

As the portal closes he says "Poland."

/

Hank is in the kitchen, tea in hand. Scott zips up his hoody, stepping into the kitchen too.

"Hank? What's so important that you interrupt my work-out at this hour?"

Hank points to a holographic communication device. The background is dark, but he can see Ororo on the screen.

"Scott, there is trouble ahead. I know why Quicksilver wanted the vibranium."

Scott: "Really? Why?" Ororo zooms the camera out and we see Kitty Pryde beside her.

Scott: "Kitty. Hi! What are you doing in Wakanda?"

"Hey Scott. Not in Wakanda. We can talk, but listen Pietro's up to no good and he's not on his own. Raven's with him."

Scott: "Mystique?!"

Hank: "I thought she went off the grid, like most mutants after Decimation Day?"

Ororo: "Not any more, and they have some evil intentions in mind."

The camera split screens to show us the pyramid where En Sabah Nur is buried.


	6. Episode 6

EPISODE 6:

Hank McCoy is in Court, on the stand, being questioned by a lawyer.

Lawyer: "So you chased down the perpetrator?"

Hank: "Yes."

Lawyer: "And sadly the policeman got shot and we're here because he died on the operating table. Is it fair to say the gunman could have been shooting at you?"

Hank: "I don't know. I was actually behind the police when he sh-"

Lawyer: "So it's possible that my client was running for his life? He was scared, that you, a giant blue mutant with the alias Beast, were hunting him down in order to kill him."

Defence lawyer: "Objection! Your honour Mr. McCoy is not on trial here."

Judge: "Sustained. Stick to asking questions."

Lawyer: "Your honour I'm just saying. With an animal like that running after you, I know I would shoot blindly in order to protect myself."

Defence lawyer: "Your Honour!"

Lawyer: "Withdrawn."

Hank shakes his head.

/

The screen splits to a pair of well-postured women walking into Black Panther's Palace. T'Challa is stood by a table awaiting his fiancé, but Shuri approaches Ororo and Kitty first.

Shuri: "Guards, their bags from the ship. Thank you." She then quietly addresses Ororo; "He's most unpleased. Good luck."

Ororo: "Can you take Kitty?"

Shuri: "Of course. Come." Shuri partially links her arm to Kitty's and the two of them walk out of the room.

We hear T'Challa bark: "Guards. Give us the room." The guards exit the room and the door closes on the scene.

/

Shuri leads Kitty to another part of the palace.

Shuri: "It's nice to meet you in person Kitty. I have to ask, can you show me your talent?"

Kitty smiles: "You too, of course. It's not a talent, but a mutation."

Shuri: "Mutation, yes, sorry."

Kitty and Shuri walk along and Shuri panics as Kitty, arms still linked, walks her through a wall and into the next room.

Shuri is shocked and excited; "Wow. That's amazing! That means you can get anywhere. Oh my goodness, you could be a crime lord. It'd be so easy. Walk into a bank, take their money."

Kitty laughs: "I'm no crime lord. I'm just a teacher."

Shuri: "Yes, but you are also an X-Man."

Kitty: "I was."

Shuri: "Was. Sorry."

Kitty: "Hey is er, Storm going to be alright in there? Your King seemed pretty pissed."

Shuri: "He's paranoid. All the stern looks and macho dressing, it's all for show. He's probably in there cuddling her and thanking the Kings that she's alright."

Kitty: "Storm says that she feels happy here. I dunno, your brother seems pretty intimidating."

Shuri: "Good. Then the illusion works. Even to me and especially to all the guards, the Black Panther is King. He rules Wakanda. Storm will too."

Kitty: "But he still doesn't like her leaving the kingdom?"

Shuri: "No. But it's about protection. He is a target, so by marrying him Ororo becomes a target too. Look at me, I am his sister and I have only been out of Wakanda when I have been by his side. He would never let me go alone or just with guards."

Kitty: "So Storm had to lie to him to get out? Seems unhealthy."

Shuri laughs: "She didn't lie. She left him a video message. And it's good to get all that out the way now. Eventually my brother will realise that he alone does not have to defend Wakanda. Ororo will be by his side and they will remain strong. Better than Jay Z and Beyonce!"

Kitty laughs: "Ok, if you're sure she's alright?"

Shuri: "She's fine. Definitely suited to be Queen around here. You've known her for longer than I. Would she stay if she was unhappy?"

Kitty: "No."

Shuri: "Well there you go. Let me show you to your room."

As their conversation ends the camera zooms out of the building and around it. Through curtains we see a silhouette of one body atop another. The King and future Queen are making love.

/

Pietro throws something across their hotel room. "This is ridiculous! We've been here for days. That Gateway guy tricked us, putting us in the middle of nowhere just for kicks."

Raven: "An old man like that doesn't do things for kicks. He wanted his people's safety and I think he genuinely feared us, so have a little patience and think." Raven is at a table with a map. "These are the neighbourhoods we've tried and here is where Gateway brought us. So for the rest of the day we can do these few streets and tomorrow we'll do this whole chunk."

Pietro: "Why can't I just run in and out of every household? I could find him so much faster that way."

Raven: "No. It'll cause a stir between the locals. You leave a silver streak Pietro. It's only there for a split second, but if enough people spot it then Erik would know you're here, meaning he'd find a way out and leave this place before we can get to him."

Pietro: "That's a good thing. It'd be like smoking him out."

Raven: "No. Your father is smart, we can't take the chance of losing him. Gateway brought us here so he must be in this town. Like I said, be patient."

/

Hank walks down the hall of the Courthouse and catches up with Moira MacTaggart.

"Hey Hank."

Hank: "Moira, so lovely to see you again."

Moira: "Hank I'm so sorry. They're treating you so awfully in there. You're here as a witness and they turn it into some sort of mutant witch-hunt."

Hank: "It's not the best. May I accompany you for the lunch recess? I wanted to raise a few queries."

Moira: "About the serum? Alright, sure. But don't try change my mind on anything Hank, we've worked too hard."

Hank: "I won't. I will ask based on my own scientific curiosity."

Moira: "Ok, good." They walk out of the building.

/

Ororo falls off from straddling T'Challa. They're naked, but we can only see their faces, shoulders, silhouettes.

Ororo: "Perhaps my penalty would be better in bed next time?"

T'Challa, holding her to his chest: "There shouldn't be a next time. You can't be reckless."

Ororo: "People were in trouble. I couldn't sit and wait until the robbers decided to leave."

T'Challa: "You could have phoned the police?"

Ororo: "There wasn't time. Besides, these gangs come in more than trios in Kenya. They're anything from five to thirty people. They may have had gang members watching from windows and rooftops nearby."

T'Challa: "See? Exactly. So how did you know you were safe?"

Ororo: "Once they saw a mutant they got scared and the gang members on the outside wouldn't get involved. The issue is that if I didn't do anything, those gang members would have attacked another car. Then another, then another. Then they would have been long gone by the time the police arrived."

T'Challa: "But there is a problem now. You had the guards bring them here and we have no right to do that. They must be handed over to the police back in Kenya."

Ororo: "T'Challa no. They will only be released to rush the streets again and there's no telling which of the police are corrupt."

T'Challa: "In that case we will tag them and monitor them from here. If they are within one hundred feet of each other they get destabilized. If they carry a weapon of any kind, they get destabilized. But we cannot imprison them here, it's not right."

Ororo: "If that's a way to keep them from committing the crime again then that's fine. As long as you're sure your tags cannot be tampered with."

T'Challa: "Shuri is in charge of all that. She will enjoy making sure the tags are fully operating on such barbarians."

Ororo: "And if they then go to the police, to try get the corrupt ones to take the tags off?"

T'Challa: "A camera is activated as soon as the box on the tag is opened. From that we can see who is tampering and we can locate the person because of the tag's GPS. Anyway, I don't think they will go to the police or any fellow gang members. They won't want to admit they had their rears handed to them by the mighty Storm."

Ororo kisses T'Challa: "I had help."

T'Challa: "She's a good friend."

Ororo: "Very. She didn't know we were getting married though. You haven't sent the invitations?"

T'Challa: "Me? I thought that was on your to-do list?"

Ororo sits up in a minor panic: "T'Challa be serious?"

T'Challa: "I'm serious, I haven't sent anything."

Ororo slides herself off the table and again we don't see anything too revealing as she marches naked toward her clothes.

T'Challa: "I'll see you in bed?"

Ororo: "Designs. Cards. A guestlist. Do we even have a guestlist? T'Challa our wedding is very soon. We can fuck later, I have work to do."

T'Challa: "So I'll see you in bed?"

Storm throws the King's clothes at him and marches out the room having gotten dressed.

He lays back, looking at the ceiling; "Very well my Queen."

/

Hank and Moira are in a coffee shop.

Hank: "I understand what you're intending to do, but how can you be sure it's going to work? There hasn't been any news of mutants being born since Decimation Day."

Moira: "But the mutant gene exists. So if two hosts have a baby it means that there would be a mutant gene in there. It's scientifically improbable that there wouldn't be a mutant gene in there because of the mutant DNA from both parents. What our serum does is guarantee that the child is or becomes a mutant. Much like with two human hosts, the serum ensures that the child is born with _only_ the human DNA, therefore no sign of that child becoming a mutant. It's something that can change the world for the better Hank."

Hank: "But after Decimation Day, no more mutants, how do you know it'll even work?"

Moira: "It works Hank. In fact we plan to have it available in a worldwide push after my company's meeting with the UN. It will enable the world to accept mutants."

Hank: "You really think so?"

Moira: "Think of races, religions, cultures. They all started somewhere. Women's Rights, the Lesbian/Gay community, everyone has a presence and they are people that have all made a choice. The serum gives people that choice. No more mutants have been born since Decimation Day. But how do we _know _that? We don't. Just like we didn't know until much later that there aren't 198 mutants left, there are actually 300. You're an endangered species my dear friend. I wouldn't want to see your kind die with your generation. I doubt Charles would have wanted that."

Hank sits solemn.

/

Shuri and Kitty are comfortable watching a movie in the theatre room.

Ororo opens the door: "Shuri, can you watch this another day?"

Shuri and Kitty sit up with their popcorn and other snacks in arms.

"Yes Ororo, a problem?"

Ororo: "Did you know your brother hadn't done the invitations?!"

Shuri tuts: "My goodness. Men!" She gets up immediately: "Come Kitty. Let's help Ororo."

/

We split screen to Poland where Raven and Pietro literally go door by door and ask anyone if they had seen Erik Lehnsherr. They're having very little luck.

Pietro: "You know what, my dad used a few names, aliases. What if we said those too?"

Raven, angry: "What? Now you come up with such a bright idea?!"

Pietro: "Well I thought the photo would be enough, I mean everyone should recognise him."

Raven: "But he could have a full beard and be known by another name! Arrgh!"

Pietro: "Jeez."

Raven: "We're going to have to start again!"

Pietro: "Let's not start again. Keep as we are, but if we have to go again you can morph into someone else, an important figure. And then make out that the first two people looking for my dad were goons, looking to hurt him, but your new persona is here to help him and keep him safe, so it's imperative he's found."

Raven: "More walking for me then."

Pietro: "Hey, it may turn out that we find him before then. Good to have a backup plan right?"

Raven shakes her head: "Full of bright ideas."

Pietro: "You almost sound proud of me."

Raven: "Shut up."

/

Out in the basketball court beside the X-Mansion, Remy and Scott are having a one-on-one. Hank walks by having returned from his Court date. Scott and Remy keep playing while Hank watches and talks.

Scott: "Everything alright?"

Hank: "The jury are thinking it over. I think it will proceed as a Manslaughter charge. They're not convinced the shooter wasn't aiming for me."

Remy: "Sorry Hank, that sucks."

James Logan walks along with a holdall.

Hank cheers up: "Logan. So good to see you."

Logan: "Yeah alright. No hugs, I just need a beer and to get into some fresh clothes."

The one-on-one continues for the moment.

Hank: "What about a little two on two? I can be out of this suit fast enough."

Remy dunks over Scott and the game halts. Scott: "No. We've been waiting for you James. And Hank you're home in good time. We have to get on with our mission. Come on, congrats Gambit. Game's over." Scott walks off, picking up his water bottle and towel: "Meet in the kitchen, forthwith."

Hank: "Spoil-sport."

Logan: "Pussy."

James and Hank loiter while Remy picks up his juice bottle.

Logan: "Forthwith?"

Remy: "I think he been watchin' Blue Bloods or somethin'."

/

In the kitchen we see Scott exiting having spoken to Emma and Sooraya. Sooraya goes to the cupboards to collect glasses.

Emma: "What are you doing?"

Sooraya: "They've been under the sun. They'll need hydrating once they come inside."

Emma: "Honey, you do that once, they'll expect it all the time."

Sooraya: "It's not a problem. We must look after our men."

Emma: "My God, you and Gambit aren't even married."

Sooraya: "I am not married to Beast or Wolverine either. But out of respect to my spouse, I get the drinks for him and I don't embarrass him around company so I get the drinks for his friends too."

Emma watches as Sooraya gets enough glasses for everyone including Emma. She begins pouring juice and Emma says: "Don't pour me a glass. I can do it myself, Sooraya, don't" but it's too late, all the glasses are poured, right in time as Remy, Hank and Logan enter the kitchen. Logan dumps his bag on the floor as Sooraya walks with the tray of drinks toward Remy. Remy thanks her and Hank takes a glass too.

Logan looks at her quizzically and then marches toward the fridge. "Juice? Are you shitting me?" He pulls out a beer.

Hank politely says "I'll have his," taking another glass off the tray.

Sooraya places the tray beside Emma, taking a glass off for herself and the tray has two remaining. Scott comes marching back in, turning on the communication system that allows the team to talk via live video.

Logan: "What, I couldn't have taken a piss first?"

Scott: "Storm, are you there?"

Ororo appears on screen with Shuri and Kitty beside her. They are on the floor in the palace' living room. Various notepads, lists and invitation samples in front of them.

Ororo: "Here Scott. Good afternoon everyone."

Logan: "Storm? Hey."

Kitty: "Logan!"

Logan: "Kitty! Fuck, how long has it been?!"

Emma: "Alright alright, save it please. James we've been waiting for you to help us find Magneto. Do you think you can do that?"

Logan: "Yeah I can do that Your Highness."

Shuri: "Actually, Storm is Your Highness." There's some mild bickering.

Scott pipes up. "We need a plan. Kitty said that Quicksilver and Mystique are trying to wake En Sabah Nur. We have to make sure that doesn't happen."

Storm: "But if you find Magneto, you think he'll know of Quicksilver's plan? What if Erik's not part of this at all?"

Scott: "We can't take a chance on that. Even if he isn't a part of it, maybe we can get him on our side."

Remy: "I wouldn't trust him homme. If there's a way for him to get his powers back, we all know Magneto, all-power is all he's ever wanted."

Dust: "But you said his daughter died. Maybe that's changed him."

Logan: "She's not dead, she's just, not present."

Hank: "Unfortunately we don't know where Wanda is, if she is alive. Nor do we have any idea about Charles."

Logan: "My senses can't pick'm up, but it doesn't mean they're dead. So is that what we're doing, finding Magneto? Kitty, you gonna come here?"

Emma: "If it helps."

A voice is heard; "Perhaps there is another way." T'Challa steps into the living room in the palace. "En Sabah Nur is buried beneath pyramids in Giza. Whether Mystique and Quicksilver have Magneto's help or not, their objective is to wake En Sabah Nur. So what if we are to protect that tomb?"

Storm: "My King, how?"

T'Challa: "The wedding. All the festivities and events, we have there. Directly around the pyramid and over the tomb. There will be so much going on, that the villains in this story won't have a way of getting to their Mummy."

Shuri: "T'Challa, the Queen of Wakanda must go through her rituals here."

T'Challa: "She can Shuri. But the X-Men will be on a wild moat chase otherwise."

Logan chuckles: "That's goat chase, bub."

T'Challa continues: "If we take over the pyramid grounds, even if there is an attempt on the tomb, we will all be there ready to protect it. We will still do our rituals here, privately, but Storm's friends need our assistance. We help them as we would help our own. If my Queen permits." T'Challa looks at Ororo who makes eye contact back. They both smile.

Logan: "Well this is all very tender, but are you tellin' me I just quit my job to be told I'm not needed. You couldn't have worked this out before?!"

Kitty: "You're needed Logan. Please, stick around."

Scott: "If it's alright with Black Panther, his people can go to town when they set the wedding up by the pyramid."

T'Challa: "Go to town?"

Ororo places her hand on T'Challa's, who's now stood by her: "I will explain."

Scott continues: "We do still need you James, we'll still try and find Magneto for answers."

Emma: "Storm? You're the bride. I think T'Challa makes sense. Would you want the wedding in Egypt?"

Storm pauses to think for a moment. She stands and holds her fiancé's hand: "I will become Queen to the Black Panther anywhere."

We see Remy put an arm around Sooraya and Scott put his hand over Emma's.

Logan puts a cigar to his mouth and begins to light it. "So much romance. I'm gonna puke!"

Scott/Emma/Storm yell: "Logan!"

Emma: "No smoking in the house!"

Hank chuckles.

We focus on Shuri on the floor, who's looking at the invitations that they had already completed: "In that case, I think we have to start again."

Ororo looks at the pile and shakes her head.


	7. Episode 7

EPISODE 7:

The camera falls over the Egyptian pyramids. We can see that there are canopies and tents being put up around one particular pyramid; Khufu. We zoom in on T'Challa who seems to be barking orders.

/

We split screen to see two shadows/silhouettes having sex at very early hours of the morning. Remy finishes and falls behind Sooraya. The shadows reveal her eyes and parts of her face and body, but we never see her fully. She nestles her rear into Remy's groin and he kisses her shoulder.

"Will you stay in bed this time?"

Sooraya smiles: "Maybe."

Remy: "Something's bothering you, I know it. And you didn't get answers from your God when you prayed."

Sooraya: "There is only one Allah."

Remy: "Yeah, so what's bothering you?"

Sooraya turns a little at first and eventually turns fully onto her back so that she can see Remy on his side. "The wedding of Ororo. Isn't it a big risk, to have everyone go there?"

Remy: "What do you mean?"

Sooraya: "It's an event. I don't mean to speak out of turn, but with En Sabah Nur right under the venue, aren't we putting every attendee at the wedding in jeopardy?"

Remy runs his hand along Sooraya's tummy and then boob. He smiles: "See, that's where you will see how certain things get done when it comes to those of us with powers."

Sooraya plays with Remy's hair: "I don't understand."

Remy: "Your concern would be fine for a normal wedding and a normal perceivable target. But that's the whole point. Quicksilver and Mystique will see that wedding crowd and they would be stupid to enter because they know just by who's wedding it is that they would be ridiculously outnumbered. It's better, to be prepared as a whole group rather than have the X-Men try to prevent En Sabah Nur's resurrection on our own."

Sooraya: "But Black Panther's suggestion that the festivities and events are all there, won't they ruin the wedding? I mean if he and Ororo are always looking over their shoulders?"

Remy: "Maybe. But they know that they have us on their side and Emma and Scott aren't stupid either. I'm sure they will have others there that are in-the-know about what's going on and what could happen. In fact more people are likely to turn up if there is a fight involved. Especially for mutants. You of all people know how tough it is hiding out and all."

/

We split screen into the point of view of a man swinging from building to building. He shoots webs and moves majestically, eventually reaching the fire-escape of his apartment. He slides open the window and climbs in, being incredibly quiet as we can see his beau laying in bed. He removes his outfit all the while looking toward Mary-Jane. He goes to his bedside table and picks up a framed photo of him and MJ. He closes his eyes as we hear Wanda's words; "No more mutants" and we see somewhat of a rewind that shows Peter in the alternate reality that Wanda had created. He was with Gwen Stacey then. He was happy.

His eyes open as Mary-Jane mumbles: "Pete? Are you home safe?"

Peter: "I'm safe Mary-Jane. I'm here. Go back to sleep."

Peter puts the frame back on the beside table, but faced down. On the table is an invitation to Black Panther and Storm's wedding.

/

We split screen to Los Angeles where Tony Stark is standing central in his apartment. A wine glass in hand, he's playing Charades with his friends. Happy is there, as is Bruce Banner and Warren Worthington.

Stark: "C'mon, what's wrong with you? You're usually great at this game. You know what, you're slacking and I don't like that look you just gave me."

Bruce: "Oh c'mon Tony, give him a break."

Happy, strained: "Errrr Donald Trump?"

Stark looks at him as if he's a mad man: "Trump? You think I'm doing Trump? As if that piece of shit could ever be allowed into my headspace. You know what, you're fired for that."

Bruce: "Tony."

Stark: "No I'm serious. Tolerance is necessary, but ignorance is not bliss aren't I right Angel? Angel?"

Bruce: "It freaks me out that you call him that."

Stark: "He is an angel. Happy, don't go, you're not fired. Suspended without pay until morning when I'll need you to clear all this up." Stark turns to Warren: "Hello? Anybody home?"

Warren: "Yeah sorry."

Stark: "C'mon buddy, us billionaires have to stick together."

Warren: "Sure. Sorry. I was thinking about that invite."

Stark: "Invite, what invite?"

Bruce: "Panther's wedding Tony, we all got one."

Stark: "Ah, right. Sounds alright. Giza right?"

Warren: "Yeah, but that's not all that's going on there. It could turn into a war zone."

Bruce: "It can't do. Quicksilver and Mystique? I'm no Iron Man, but I'll stand by the door and those two won't get in."

Stark: "I like it, my confidence is rubbing off on you."

Warren: "No, that's not my point. The world will be there and so will the media and therefore enemies of Black Panther and of Storm will know where they are, and they'll know that all their friends are there too."

Stark: "That's why we're in on the whole Apocalypse thing. We'll all be ready."

Bruce: "But Tony, I think the point is; what if my enemies show up, and yours and Warren's and Beast's and Storm's and so on."

Stark: "Beast doesn't have enemies, I don't believe it."

Warren: "But you see my point. Not to mention, if the wrong people catch wind of this wedding, which they will, that whole event becomes a target because in theory we could all get wiped out at once."

/

Broad daylight in Poland, a government agent knocks on a door and asks if the person or anyone in their family had seen Erik Lehnsherr. The agent says that Mr. Lehnsherr has important information awaiting him; concerning his daughter. The person at the door again declines and eventually closes the door. The government agent walks across the road and around a corner, morphing back into Mystique. She stabs at the wall with the outside of her fist as she approaches Pietro.

"Damn it!"

Pietro: "No luck huh?"

Raven: "No such fuckin' joy. I'm of a mind to break out Juggernaut and have him ramsack this entire town. I'm beginning to think that Amish little twerp has put us in the wrong place."

Pietro laughs: "Gateway's not Amish! Far from it."

Raven: "Why are you in such a good mood?"

Pietro: "Because, Mystique, I have a plan C."

/

Beast is in the cockpit of the Blackbird. He's mid-conversation, apparently teaching Dust, who's beside him, about what all the buttons are for. The camera moves past them and toward the main passenger seating of the plane.

Logan: "Hey Beast can we hurry up? Man's gotta pee here."

Remy: "We all went before leaving homme. You should have too."

Logan: "That was two hours ago. How was I supposed to predict my piss-cycle huh?"

Scott: "It's not so far now. Relax. Why don't you nap or something?"

Logan: "Yeah whatever."

Remy tries to change subject: "Genosha still as bad as I remember homme?"

Scott: "Probably worse by now. I don't know what we'll find there. The whole place could be deserted for all we know."

Logan: "I still don't know why we couldn't have split up. Frost said there were six known addresses for Magneto. The faster we spread across all of them the better."

Scott: "Counter productive unless we got lucky with your nose though Logan. You'll get a scent of Erik no matter where we go, but the stronger the scent is, the more trouble could be waiting. We're a team. We'll do this together. It may take a little longer, but that's where the wedding comes in. We've bought ourselves time. We've done well, having been to Pietro's last known home already. Genosha is third on our list. I hope we're getting closer."

/

Back at the X-Mansion Emma is in her kitchen talking via live communications video link to Ororo.

Emma: "The wedding date has been broadcast?"

Ororo: "Yes. Everybody knows. Even if Pietro and Raven haven't caught hold of it, they'll be in for a shock if they touch down in Egypt. T'Challa says everything is going smoothly."

Emma: "And you got all the addresses of mutants I scanned for you?"

Ororo: "I did. They're all invited. I'm hoping to see some friendly faces. Do you think they'll all come?"

Emma: "If it was all about you Storm I think they would. But I worry. With the caveat that there may be a resurrection of Apocalypse, it may be a case that a handful of mutants don't show up. They're leading normal lives now. The last thing they want is a fight for that life."

We cut to where Ororo is, outside an academic institute in London, England: "Kitty's here. I'll talk to you soon. Let me know how they're doing in Genosha."

Emma: "Sure. Bye."

Kitty walks up to Ororo and she confirms that she has organised time off work. She says it wasn't easy doing it on such short notice, but "I promised'm I'd figure out a new method of getting students to figure out for themselves how they can better their literature and creativity."

The two walk and talk, with Kitty eyeballing Ororo's muscle across the street.

Kitty: "You're doing great you know. The outfit makes you look like a mature student here."

Ororo: "Excuse me? How 'mature?'"

Kitty: "Sorry, I didn't mean anything bad. I meant that your guards are keeping themselves at a distance. It makes you look normal to everyone here."

Ororo: "This seems like a busy place."

Kitty: "It is. Everyone's in a world of their own. They're thinking about something, doing something, on their way somewhere or they're simply hungover from a rough night before. Either which way, they mind their own business."

Ororo: "Well, the tour has been nice. But we must get going."

Kitty: "Of course. My office isn't far. I just need to get my credentials."

Ororo: "Your passport and identification? You need it?"

Kitty: "You never know."

Ororo: "You keep it in the school? Not at home?"

Kitty: "The school has security, home doesn't. And by security I mean incredibly thick walls with slight gaps in between where I can easily hide and store my documents. I know I don't need that stuff with you, but if I do consider going back to America I'd rather make it a clean break from here. Saves me coming back again."

/

We see a woman in red. Her attire torn and tears streaming from her eyes. "Help! Help me daddy." She's in the middle of the Polish village. The camera is over the shoulder of Quicksilver who watches from above a church rooftop. "Help! Daddy? Daddy?"

People come out from their homes and some go close, but not overly close. Polish speech has them nattering proclaiming the name Wanda. We follow the slow footsteps of an older man who walks through the crowd. He slightly speeds up and then stops in his tracks as he sees who he thinks is his daughter.

"Wanda?"

'Wanda' makes eye contact with him and within seconds of a silver flash Mystique, Quicksilver and Erik are locked inside the church. Erik seems dizzy from the rush, but then his vision clears. He whispers "Wanda?" but then sees Raven and Pietro.

/

Over in Giza, T'Challa is approached by guards who introduce to him;

T'Challa: "Reed Richards" he says with a big smile, opening his arms.

Reed: "T'Challa my friend. My God, it's so good to see you."

T'Challa: "Yes, and you. I am so happy that you are here."

T'Challa waves the guards off and begins walking and talking with Reed. First he asks him whether his guards had gotten him settled.

Reed: "Are you kidding? You've built accommodation here. And I must say, thank you for such a fine view, Susan will be thrilled."

T'Challa: "I was wondering where the rest of the party were?"

Reed: "They'll come. Susan is on business and with the wedding day still weeks away I had a feeling you wanted us here early for a reason. Specifically me?"

T'Challa smiles: "Reed you know me too well."

Reed: "I knew it. Bachelor party right? I'm your best man?"

T'Challa: "Actually Reed, no. No party. The wedding itself will be a cultural masterpiece. We do not do bachelor things where I'm from."

Reed: "But I am your best man?"

T'Challa: "It was close, but yes."

Reed: "Close? Over who? Steve, St'-Steve Rogers? I beat Captain America?"

T'Challa: "Yes."

Reed: "I, I beat Captain America. Well what do you know, Mister Fantastic beats Captain America. Wow. I think I need to put that on a mug or something."

T'Challa: "Reed, my friend, can we please focus? My reason for asking you here early is for some help with your fantastic mind."

Reed: "Alright, this sounds serious. Sorry. A long flight and all this merriment has me a little excited."

T'Challa: "It's alright. You know from the invitation what the possibilities are of something disastrous happening here. But I wanted to ask if you could help me develop a fail-safe." By now they had walked into a private hut, T'Challa's, but disguised as one of many. T'Challa hands Reed a cold drink.

Reed: "This is very serious."

T'Challa: "No one knows what will happen here for sure. Nothing is for sure, other than the wedding. But if En Sabr Nur is woken, I want there to be a way where we can contain him."

Reed: "Contain? A mutant with that kind of power? That's a lot to consider T'Challa."

T'Challa: "But think. You know the dome over Wakanda?"

Reed nods.

T'Challa: "What if we could recreate it here?"

Reed ponders.

T'Challa: "I know it takes a lot of vibranium to power and operate the dome. But if there is a way, I trust you could find it. It doesn't have to be as strong, but it must be valid enough so that we can keep him here and in the meantime the rest of the world is safe."

Reed: "Not as strong? T'Challa it may have to be even stronger. Mutants are natural entities, they don't rely on wizardry or guns or tricks. If En Sabr Nur wakes he will unleash all his strength to make sure that anything stopping him is crushed or torn through. This isn't like putting a spider under a glass."

T'Challa: "But I can see you're thinking."

Reed: "Yes. You're honourable T'Challa. Vibranium and the people of Wakanda have done wonderous things for the world. But I don't think keeping the fight at the wedding is necessarily what will work."

T'Challa: "So?"

Reed: "I think we need to create a prison. A vibranium powered box that keeps Apocalypse locked up."

T'Challa: "We couldn't do that anyway? Underground?"

Reed: "No, it's too dangerous. There's no telling how vibranium would react to the air and atmosphere around En Sabr Nur's tomb. And it's unclear as to what exactly it is that wakes him. Leaving him be is the best thing to do. But if we can, we need to create a parachute and then we'll need to lure Apocalypse to the right spot to ensure that he gets trapped."

T'Challa: "Like a mouse trap."

Reed: "Right, exactly. For a pretty big mouse."

T'Challa: "Can you work out a way?"

Reed: "We'll give it a shot. We need to be in your quarters though, close to your main source of vibranium. We can't do much from here."

T'Challa: "I expected as much." The hut's door opens and Shuri is waiting along with some guards. T'Challa gets up and leads Reed out of the ship.

Reed, stunned: "That was a ship?"

Shuri: "A hologram. Made to look like any old hut."

Reed: "Wow, you guys rarely fail to amaze me." He and Shuri embrace. "So good to see you."

"You too."

"Your brother's lucky I'm his best man. If it was Captain America I doubt he'd have been able to help him with this am I right?" They walk and talk as T'Challa follows with a smile on his face.

/

Erik stands and throws a chalice across the church: "How dare you! Do you have any idea what it feels like to know the damage I've done?"

Pietro: "Yeah old man, boo frickin' hoo. You killed me, you think I don't remember that?"

Erik throws a glass and then another. Pietro speeds around catching them.

Raven tries to calm the situation: "This is why we're here Erik. Please hear us before-"

SMASH!

Erik smashes a glass on the floor by where Raven is plotted on a pew. He barks at her: "You should've known not to bring him near me. Now you all, get away from me, leave me alone!"

Pietro speeds to tidy up the smashed glass off the floor. To Raven he says: "This isn't working. Looks like forgiveness isn't within our family genes hey dad?"

Erik: "You took my daughter away from me!"

Pietro: "Me? I was dead. I only just opened my eyes to hear Wanda say 'no more mutants' and poof; the perfect world was gone and so were the majority of mutants on the planet. We resetted to year zero because of you!"

Raven: "Alright enough! This yelling and blaming each other isn't going to get you anywhere and you know what I get it; you both love Wanda. Good for you. Love is the start of any family, but this arguing is a constant waste of time. Erik, we ask you to hear us out because-"

Erik: "Because you want to control me? You want one over me Pietro is that it?"

Raven: "Erik! We are trying to restore mutant prosperity. That means we're trying to get Wanda back."

Erik calms, stares at the floor and his body goes limp. Pietro catches him and gently sits him on a pew. A Priest is in the doorway having seen Pieto speed to catch Erik. The Priest quickly closes the door and doesn't interrupt the scene.

/

The Blackbird lands in a worn and torn town on the island of Genosha. It seems deserted as the X-Men look out their windows.

Beast turns on the heat signature seeker on the Blackbird. "Nothing for five miles."

Scott comes over to look at the radar himself. He pauses to think for a moment.

Logan: "So? We fly five miles down the road?"

Scott: "No. Lets get down there X-Men. The heat signature covers everything overground. We don't know what's underneath."

/

Erik, Raven and Pietro continue arguing.

Erik: "I've been fine! Alive, useless like the rest of humanity, but alive. Leading a quiet life. Why do you want to tear me from that now?"

Pietro: "Aren't you listening old man? We're trying to find Wanda, to get her back!"

Erik: "My Wanda is gone."

Pietro: "She's not! I don't believe it and I won't until I see a body. She's hiding."

Erik: "And so she doesn't want to be with us, she wants to be left in peace! Why can't you do that for your sister?"

Pietro: "Look dad. I owe it to Wanda to show her that I've changed. We can both do that. But not individually."

Raven: "Erik. Wanda wanted a family."

Pietro: "Right. So if we show her a united front, maybe she'll forgive us and answer us. We have to try dad. Not just for her, but for the mutant population. She said 'no more mutants' because she was pissed at you. Ok, us, maybe pissed at us both, but she took it out on the whole world. Women right?" Raven doesn't respond. Pietro continues: "Anyway, point being, we need to get her back and we need the world to be equal again."

Erik: "The world was never equal. It never will be."

Raven: "It was getting there. Genosha, mutants in power, mutant armies, task forces and that's just all the military type stuff. Mutants were being accepted. Now we're restarting and we're under threat. If we don't do something, then we risk becoming extinct."

Erik: "So that's why you're really here? To bring mutant-kind back entirely."

Pietro: "By finding Wanda. There's nothing wrong with the world being back to normal dad. And not even normal. Imagine if it was like how Wanda made it. She was happy, you was happy, our family was prospering. That's all she wanted. Maybe we can convince her to change things back and then some."

Erik: "Have you learned nothing from the pain we caused her?"

Pietro: "Dad, there's nothing wrong with you having your powers back and everything being as we wanted. I mean did Wanda ever think, if she wanted a normal life so much, she coulda just dissolved her own powers and then lived like a human. I don't know where she is, but I'm betting she's still a mutant. That means she can change everything back."

Erik doesn't respond, sitting quietly thinking. "You found me. So find her the same way?"

Pietro: "It's not that easy."

Raven: "Wanda's made herself untraceable. The mutant we came here with was able to put us in this town, but not on your doorstep. To find Wanda, he'd simply tell us she's on earth, which is obviously no help at all."

Erik: "You didn't bother asking? So how am I supposed to help. I'm human."

Pietro: "En Sabah Nur."

Erik: "What?"

Pietro: "Apocalypse. He could find Wanda."

Erik: "Boy you must be out of your mind."

Raven: "We're serious Erik. That's why we came to you. You know what to do to wake him. He will be grateful for that and he will help us. He himself wants mutant domination, so if we tell him of the world Wanda made for us, maybe he can help us get it all back. Including you in power, including your happy family."

Erik: "You know I used to think you were the most remarkable woman on the planet. But are you hearing yourself? The amount of what-ifs and maybes in your plan and you think, you actually think a mutant like Apocalypse would be grateful that you woke him? He'll probably kill you on the spot as a memorandum, a sacrifice for himself to remember the mutants that brought him back to life. This is the most absurd plan, God damn it Mystique."

Pietro says a little more and the conversation/argument continues as we split-screen back to Genosha.

/

Cyclops, Wolverine, Dust and Gambit are all walking a few hundred yards from the plane. They see what they expected; rubble and very little sign of life.

Logan: "He won't be here."

Scott: "We have to be sure in order to rule this place out."

They continue walking as a group.

Remy: "Kind of a creepy place no homme? Maybe Dust and I should look after de Blackbird."

Scott: "Beast is up there Gambit. Eyes open everyone."

In the Blackbird Beast receives a call from Emma: "Hank put on the news."

Hank turns on a screen which shows the 'Breaking News.' Public footage from phones and devices show a woman that can be identified as Wanda Maximoff out on the streets of Otwock, Poland. The headline reads _'Scarlet Witch Alive?_'

Hank: "My God." He radios to the X-Men: "Scott, back on the plane, you all have to see this."

Emma remains on the call: "Did you see? Erik?"

Hank: "I spotted him, but the speed at which Wanda and Erik, what on earth happened?"

Emma: "I can't tell."

Scott and co rush onto the plane and they watch the footage on the news channel.

Scott: "Wanda and Erik in the same place. That can't be coincidence."

Hank: "Are we sure it's Wanda? I wouldn't have thought she would have resurfaced by her father."

Remy: "Seems unlikely homme, but what's for sure is that Magneto's in Poland and we all de way here in Genosha."

The X-Men talk, including Emma, as Scott thinks for a moment. The camera pans from the cockpit to the outside of the Blackbird. Logan is out there sniffing the air.

Scott talks to him on communication-piece in his ear: "Logan lets go. There's nothing for us here. Seems like Erik's in Poland. What's going on?"

Logan sniffs a little more as he makes his way back onto the plane, addressing the X-Men: "I got somethin', but I can't figure it out. It's tainted, almost as if it's been purposely scoured."

Dust: "A scent? Of whom?"

Scott: "It doesn't matter. It's probably an intoxicated dead body or something."

Emma: "Scott's right. Guys, get back to the mansion, we're going to have to work this out."

Logan: "Work what out?" he sees the news footage, "wait, is that Wanda?!"

Hank turns to get the jets started. As he does we see a red spot on the infra-red heat-seeker; a person is within close proximity of the X-Men. Unfortunately, without looking at the screen Hank turns the radar off. The camera zooms out of the Blackbird to signal time passing and the Blackbird lifts into the air and begins to jet off. We see a red scarf go across the floor of the Genosha'n town like tumbleweed.


	8. Episode 8

EPISODE 8:

We see a reconstruction of the "Wanda sighting" scene. It's computer generated, blue and grid-lined. We pan to Hank who's in the control centre of the Danger Room. Emma is up there with him. The rest of the X-Men are stood within the blue hologram.

Scott: "Wanda was at least thirty feet from Erik. She couldn't have gotten up and abducted him so fast, she doesn't have that kind of speed."

Emma from the booth: "Hold on Scott."

Hank: "It seems that I have been able to retrieve all the footage available from that day. If I correlate it and slow the scene down…" The blue hologram moves at glitch-speed.

Remy pipes up: "There! I knew it! It's Quicksilver. He de one dat nabbed Wanda and Erik of de street."

Logan: "That silver slimeball."

Remy: "His abilities are spectacular homme, you must admit? He's got so much control over his speed. In India I could see his silver streak, but Hank had to slow dis footage down a lot."

Hank: "Affirmative. But one wonders how angry Erik must be. To be sucker'd out of hiding somewhat."

Logan: "That ain't our problem."

Dust: "Perhaps it could be. If Magneto doesn't vent his anger at Quicksilver and Mystique, maybe he will project it elsewhere."

Logan: "What are you a psychiatrist lady?"

/

The screen splits and we're with the X-Men in the living room. It's mostly brown leather seating with the bookshelves full. Storm is live and present via video communications.

Remy: "The problem is that we don't know for sure that wasn't Wanda. What if it was and Quicksilver just got lucky?"

Scott: "Unlikely Gambit. We have to assume the status quo and go with our guts on this. The most obvious scenario is that Mystique was the one crying help as Wanda. Erik got baited out of his hole and now Pietro and Raven have exactly who they were looking for."

Hank: "So what do we do?"

Logan: "I say we hunt'm down before they do any damage."

Ororo: "That might be a good idea, to tackle them before they reach Egypt. I wouldn't have thought they know about the wedding yet, but they will. The press are beginning to get word of the wedding date."

Dust: "Even if they found out about the wedding, maybe they wait it out? What if they go to revive En Sabah Nur after all the festivities?"

Emma: "That is a possibility and it means that we have to force their hand."

Logan: "Get to'm first. Good. I'm in the mood for a fight."

Hank: "We must think like Magneto. If we assume he'll take point on Quicksilver's mission, he wouldn't foolheartedly go to Egypt."

Emma: "Right. He'd have a plan. Most plans include backup."

Remy: "But who?"

Ororo and Logan simultaneously: "Juggernaut."

Ororo: "Charles' brother and Erik's weapon of choice. They will go to his prison and try to break him out."

Hank: "We can assume Magneto would know which prison is holding him, but are we aware?"

Scott: "No we're not. I'll contact Valerie, she'll know. She would have all the information on imprisoned mutants before and after Decimation Day."

Emma's face changes at the mention of Valerie Cooper. Meanwhile, Remy's been flicking through the television channels.

"Looks like there's some who believe and some who don't. De more I think about it though, I think ya'll are right; Wanda's still missing."

Scott: "Fortunately the media are treating this as a mutant sighting and nothing more. Wanda was once an Avenger so that's why this has blown up a bit. Are they in the know about what's going on?"

Emma: "I spoke to Tony."

Ororo: "And I to Natasha. The key cogs know, but I'm not sure even they know who to trust after they signed the Sokovia Accords."

Emma: "As long as it's not public knowledge of what Wanda said. If the world knew there would be outrage."

Dust: "Or maybe they would treat her as a God. All powerful."

Emma: "That's coming from you of all people?"

Sooraya mutters an Arabic phrase under her breath, asking Allah for forgiveness for suggesting such a thing.

Scott: "Humanity is easily misguided, but I think more to the point is that mutants would get hunted and eliminated if the world knew what Wanda did. They would think that all it takes is for one of us to say _no more humans_ and that would be that, the end of the human race as we know it. They would hunt us out of fear."

Ororo: "Fortunately only some of us know what really happened. We must keep it that way. And you all must find Erik, Pietro and who we think is Mystique."

Scott gets out his phone and we see 'Cooper, V' on his call screen.

Emma: "Prep the Blackbird Hank. Everybody have something to eat and go watch Juggernaut videos on YouTube. He's not an easy mutant to bring down."

Hank, Sooraya, Logan and Remy leave the kitchen.

Emma pulls Scott by the arm, quietly stating: "I don't trust her."

Scott: "It's alright. I'm getting information and nothing more. Hi, Valerie? I hope this isn't a bad time?" Scott walks off. Emma and Ororo lock eyes. Ororo can see that Emma isn't fond of Valerie Cooper.

/

Over in Wakanda, Shuri and Reed are in a warehouse type space. They're working on a vibranium powered box to possibly imprison En Sabah Nur. Bruce Banner talks to Reed via video communications. We also spot Tony Stark in Bruce's lab. They both put in their scientific views of whether or not the box would work and how. The conversation goes on and Bruce says that this kind of technology may enable Wakanda to have the monopoly on imprisonment.

Tony: "But have we not learned anything from the past? Doctor Richards, is there a way of adding a method of feeding the prisoner with regard to this box?"

Reed: "Probably not Tony."

Tony: "Exactly. So why not eliminate the problem while we have the chance."

Shuri: "What are you saying? We are not murderers."

Bruce: "She's right Tony, you're beginning to sound like Castle."

Tony: "You know I take that as a compliment. But I think I have too much of a conscious. I'm too nice, but Frank in this case would understand where I'm coming from. Instead of allowing Apocalypse of ever getting out of this box, why don't we devise a way of crushing him in it? Then poof, gone, the world is rid of an evil overlord."

Reed: "Mister Stark I think that would officially be going against those accords you signed."

Tony: "But would it? We'd be in Egypt. We could tell the world a natural disaster occurred which led to the crushing of En Sabah Nur. I think we'd be applauded."

Bruce: "With that line of thinking we may as well go down to Nur's tomb ourselves and kill him while he's sleeping."

Tony: "Even better idea."

Shuri: "No. There is no honour in that. A being cannot be slain no matter what the risk."

Tony: "But you can understand where I'm coming from? Bruce?"

Bruce: "I get it Tony, but we're not murderers. Nor are we vigilantes."

Tony: "Fuck. We're barely even Avengers any more."

Bruce: "Exactly."

Shuri: "Stick to the plan gentlemen. Ororo and my brother are to be wed. Everything else is a failsafe, a backup plan to the events of the day which is the wedding. This barbaric nonsense will not fly with the X-Men."

Tony: "Ah mutants, the core of this problem."

Bruce: "Tony?"

Tony: "I'm kidding. I have friends that are mutants. Hell, I'm invited to the wedding aren't I. I don't think T'Challa's a fan though."

Shuri: "I wonder why."

/

Over in Giza, Peter Parker and Mary Jane step out of a vehicle driven by Wakanda'n guards. They arrive outside the accommodation freshly built by Black Panther's people. Okoye meets them by the entrance.

"Welcome. We are honoured by your presence and attendance for the wedding of Ororo Monroe and the great Black Panther."

Peter and MJ look surprised. Okoye doesn't seem to be happy that so many people are coming to this wedding. She walks, guiding Peter and MJ into the building and to the reception area. MJ tries talking to Okoye, but Okoye comically doesn't respond with anything much other than a scowl. Okoye leads MJ to the reception desk and asks her to sign some paperwork on hers and Peter's behalf. Peter loiters meanwhile, eating sweets by the complimentary juice and then clumsily almost dropping a vase. The camera rushes behind him and he gets a tap on the shoulder.

"Boo!"

Peter turns around and finds Kitty Pryde. They embrace.

Kitty: "What's the matter Pete, Spidey-sense not so tingly?"

Peter: "Oh you know it's so hot out here. I'm not used to not having much to swing from and I guess I'm jet-lagged too."

Kitty looks at him with a quizzical expression.

Peter sighs: "Hi Kitty. It's good to see you."

Kitty: "You too Pete. You guys just got here? It's great isn't it?"

Pete: "It's very nice. Have you been here long?"

Kitty: "Oh, don't ask. Here, Wakanda, Kenya. It's been a crazy few weeks. But what a wedding this'll be, a spectacle don't you think?"

Pete: "Yeah I guess. I mean, Storm deserves it. It's important to be happy."

Mary Jane bellows: "Pete? I have our room key. Oh hi Kitty."

Kitty waves. Guards come over to take Peter's bags.

Pete: "Er, why don't you go ahead MJ. I'll catch up."

MJ: "Oh ok."

MJ is guided by Okoye as they exit the scene: "This way."

Kitty puts a hand on Peter's arm: "What's the matter?"

He shakes his head as they walk and talk, out toward the back end of the building where there's a bar and seating area.

Pete: "I don't know. I haven't been myself much lately."

Kitty: "Lately?"

Pete: "Well, since D-Day."

Kitty: "I figured. Why not though?"

Pete: "Oh I don't know. You know I was a hero then? I was considered a mutant. I was accepted for who I am not frowned upon for being a freak scientific accident."

Kitty: "But you were used to that weren't you? Why's it bother you now?"

Pete: "You know how kids say FOMO nowerdays? Fear of missing out?"

Kitty: "Yeah?"

Pete: "Well for me it's kinda like a sadness, based on missing out. And it makes me feel so guilty."

Kitty: "Guilty for what? Pete, what are you talking about?"

Pete tries to change the subject: "Er, you know, you, are you in the middle of all the hero stuff? Are you an X-Man?"

Kitty: "Well, not recently. Not since D-Day I guess. But I'm considering it."

Pete: "Really?"

Kitty: "Yeah. You know I've been in England and I did everything I was doing once upon a time at the mansion; I was teaching and I was content. So much changed after D-Day that getting away from Westchester County, I thought it was best for me. I guess it was, for the time I've been there."

Pete: "But something's changed now?"

Kitty: "In a way. I'm not sure. I'm excited you know. To see everyone and to know that there may be a battle around the corner. Teaching every day is a calling, but the rough and tumble keeps a person buzzing you know what I mean?"

Pete: "You were a teacher in that other place, right?"

Kitty: "In Wanda's alternate state of life, yeah. Not so different from where I was or where I am now."

Pete: "Were you alone?"

Kitty: "What do you mean?"

Pete: "In the reality that Wanda created, a supposed place where we all had everything we wanted; were you with the person you wanted to be with?"

Kitty: "I wasn't with anybody. Wait, were you? Is that what's bothering you? Wasn't Mary Jane there?"

Pete: "I don't know where she was."

Kitty: "But you were there with someone? You were married."

Pete: "To Gwen."

Kitty: "To Gwen?! Oh shit."

Peter nods as he looks like he still can't wrap his head around it: "That's why I'm so conflicted. I had everything I wanted. Things haven't been the same with Mary Jane ever since."

Kitty: "But Pete, come on, that's not her fault. Or yours."

Pete: "I know. And I'm sure I love Mary Jane. Gwen. Ergh, but Gwen, I can't get her out of my head, as if all these feelings came back to me and I can't get rid of them."

Kitty: "Do you want to get rid of them?"

Pete: "Yeah, I do. Of course I do. It's not fair on MJ. But I don't know I guess from what I had in that alternate reality, I kinda feel I would've had a better life with Gwen. A better love."

Kitty: "Pete, these thoughts are toxic."

Pete: "Not just thoughts. Feelings. I go to bed remembering what it was like waking up to Gwen in Wanda's world and I, I just remember being happier. Happier than I've been with MJ. I'd love to shake it off, but I don't know what to do about it."

The camera zooms away from their conversation as we see Okoye walk to the front of the building. The person that's walked in is Colossus. He sees Kitty talking to Peter Parker. A look of anxiety over Piotr's face.

/

Erik Lehnsherr is with Mystique and Quicksilver outside of an undisclosed prison establishment.

Mystique: "Are you sure we only need Juggernaut? There are other mutants in this place."

Erik: "We don't want distractions and we have those who I can trust so far. Juggernaut will do as I say. Once Apocalypse rights all the wrongs, then maybe we can give mutants their freedom. For now it would create media uproar to set them all free. By Juggernaut alone, the headline will be about me, not about mutants. You two know the plan?"

Pietro: "Got it dad. This should be easy enough. You're up, officer."

Mystique morphs into a security officer and makes her way down to the entrance of the establishment. The camera goes slow-motion to enable us to see Quicksilver speed to get a security pass off the guard by the gate. He sticks that to Mystique's hip and she picks it up to scan the pass and then show become a different guard. They clear her to go in and Quicksilver's silver streak follows in slow motion. Erik meanwhile makes his way to a Land Rover and he drives it around the outskirt walls of the prison. Way across the way, on the other side of the prison, we see the Blackbird land.

Split screen shows Mystique morphing into multiple different people to get to a computer to find out the exact holding spot of Juggernaut. Quicksilver follows, undetected in his silver streak.

Split screen takes us to the X-Men, who've departed the jet and made their way over the prison wall.

Cyclops: "Dust, get to the security office and tell them that there may be a breach. Wolverine, Beast on me. Gambit, do you have a lock on Juggernaut's cell?"

Gambit is in the Blackbird, using the infra-red heat-seeking technology. "Well, while En Sabah Nur is underground it look like dis place done the opposite. He on the top floor homme."

Cyclops, Beast and Wolverine get set to climb the outside of the prison.

Logan: "Top floor? Why the fuck?"

Beast: "Time Logan. For Juggernaut to get out of there, to land on the ground and then get running to forge an escape, it would give guards ample time to get into position to trap him. If he's underground he goes up and out. It's far more straightforward."

As their climb strengthens, Dust is on communications talking to them from the security office: "Guys they're here. Mystique and Quicksilver are outside Juggernaut's cell right now!"

Cyclops: "Damn. We must've been late by only minutes."

Logan: "How did they get past the damn guards so fast?"

No one's able to answer as there's then an explosion: a rocket launcher blows the top side of the building! Cyclops, Beast and Wolverine fall to the floor, reasonably unharmed.

Cyclops: "Gambit who the hell was that?"

Gambit: "Magneto. I got him."

Gambit exits the Blackbird and sprints around the outer wall of the prison.

Meanwhile, Mystique, Quicksilver and Juggernaut are stood at the edge of the opening at the top of the building. Mystique and Quicksilver are pretty much picked up by Juggernaut as he leaps out of the building and lands on his feet upon thunderously touching down. Juggernaut looks up and he sees the prison wall as the alarm becomes louder and louder. Police and security begin to gather, but they stop and watch as Juggernaut, Mystique and Quicksilver stand opposite Cyclops, Beast and Wolverine. A Western showdown. Wolverine unleashes his claws. Beast growls and Quicksilver speeds into a silver streak. The fight ensues!

Erik is putting the rocket launcher back into the Land Rover.

Gambit: "I won't even ask how you got yourself one of them."

Erik turns to see Gambit: "Cajun. Why do you need to talk before any fight?"

Gambit: "Fight? I doubt you're up for it homme. No powers and all. Besides, Erik, de name is Gambit!"

Erik: "Toad!"

Suddenly Toad leaps from out of the Land Rover. He scraps with Gambit and then it's a battle of powers. Toad's slimey tongue and superb agility versus Gambit's bow-staff and kinetic energy. Gambit looks as if he's winning the fight, but the Land Rover starts. Erik looks toward the driver quizzically and then climbs in, but we can't make out who's driving.

Erik: "Toad, come on."

Toad gets a couple of tongue lashes out on Gambit and then bounces away to latch on to the back end of the vehicle. "Bye bye, Cajun," he says cackling.

Gambit chases on foot, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, the battle in the prison yard is pretty even, but Cyclops states that Juggernaut is making too much of a mess: "If we're not careful, all the prisoners could be freed here. We have to back off."

As Beast and Logan comply we see a dark shadow go over Mystique and in an instant, she disappears. Another goes over Quicksilver and he disappears. We cut to the vehicle and Quicksilver pops up in the back of the Land Rover beside Mystique. Behind them are Erik and Toad. Juggernaut is left to face off against three X-Men and he is unafraid to mount a charge. He goes right at them, but runs into a black shadow and all of a sudden he's outside the prison walls and storming out in front of the Land Rover, who's breaks screech. Then we see that the person driving is Dagger and the man next to her in the passenger seat appearing out of a shadow is Cloak.

Mystique: "What the fuck's going on?"

Erik: "We'll talk to them. But wait, I must get Juggernaut on board."

Erik gets out of the back of the vehicle and goes to talk to Juggernaut, a conversation that we can't hear.

Quicksilver talks to Toad: "Did you know they were here?"

Toad shakes his head.

Mystique eyeballs them: "Cloak and Dagger helping Magneto. Well I'll be."

Cloak and Dagger sit there quietly as Juggernaut climbs the roof of the vehicle and caves some of it in with his weight. Dagger begins to drive.

Meanwhile, Cyclops, Beast and Wolverine are trying to convince the prison guards that they weren't the one's trying to free Juggernaut.

Cyclops tells Beast and Wolverine that they'll have to comply for now: "If we fight the guards the whole thing could become a media frenzy, making us look like we were here to set Juggernaut free. (Comms) Gambit you there?"

Dust: "It's Sooraya, I'm at the Blackbird. I think Gambit was in a fight."

Wolverine: "So were we."

Guards approach Cyclops, Beast and Wolverine.

Cyclops: "Sooraya call Emma. She has to get Cooper to call this establishment and force our release. We can't wait for our phone call in here. They'll keep us for hours and we've already lost out on Juggernaut."

Dust: "Copy Scott."

Wolverine: "Lost out? That's putting it nicely."

Hank: "I wonder who got them out of here? It seems like Magneto has a bigger team than we expected."

Guards put cuffs on the three mutants as we then see Gambit get back into the Blackbird.


	9. Episode 9

EPISODE 9:

Dagger drives Erik and co to an abandoned warehouse where it seems Cloak and Dagger have made a home for themselves. Dagger drives in as Cloak uses his phone to shut the doors behind them and then turn on the lights. There is a seating area, decorative lamps and a stairwell leading to the balcony above. Toad, Mystique, Erik and Quicksilver get out of the vehicle. All is quiet until Juggernaut leaps off the top of the vehicle and lands with a giant thud, almost causing the hanging lights to drop from the rafters. Raven eyeballs Cloak and Dagger as they get out of the Land Rover.

Raven: "So? Any explanation as to what we're doing here?"

Juggernaut: "No! Any explanation of where I can get some food?!"

Toad: "That sounds nice."

Raven barks that there's no time for food. Toad whines and Juggernaut complains that Mystique has always treated him like a tool.

Raven: "You are a fucking tool!"

Erik: "Enough!"

Cloak and Dagger stand quietly.

Erik turns to Juggernaut: "Cain. The police probably have a tracker in you. We have to get that out."

Cain: "They don't. They couldn't put a tracker in me. They tried, but every time I flexed I'd pop it out of my system."

Erik: "You're sure?"

Raven: "He can't be sure. The police could be on their way here right now."

Cain: "Shut up bitch, who asked you?"

Toad: "Ha, ha ha, bitch."

Raven: "Can it slime ball."

Pietro: "Alright alright can we all relax?"

Erik: "Yes, please. But Cain, we have to be sure about a tracker buddy."

Cain: "So scan me boss. You can find it with your magnetism."

Raven: "Oh my God. Where the fuck have you been? He doesn't have his powers!"

Pietro, to Raven: "Hey, would you chill?! We just got him on our side, you want him to stomp us into the ground and leave us be?"

Raven turns a shoulder.

Toad catches Pietro's eye: "Time of the month?"

Pietro: "A human discrepancy, apparently."

Erik: "I don't have my powers Cain. After Decimation Day, mutants are a rarity."

Cain: "But those X-folk still had their powers. What's Decimation Day?"

Raven: "Ergh! Moron!"

Cain: "Hey I've been locked up for years! How do I know what's going on?!"

Erik: "You're right, look, everybody just calm down. We're losing track here."

Pietro: "Dad's right. Look Cain I'll go get you some food. I'll bring enough for everyone. You and I can talk and I'll catch you up on all things."

Cain: "Food! A lot of food!"

Pietro: "Yeah, fine. Toad, hang with Cain. You guys chill out over there. Raven, if you could relax a little and maybe you and dad can get yin and yang to tell us what they're doing helping us, that would be great."

Tyrone and Tandy walk toward their seating area and Raven stomps as she follows. Erik looks at Pietro, almost as if he's a proud dad.

/

Remy and Sooraya are in the Blackbird watching the monitor, Sooraya on Remy's lap.

Remy: "There. Vickie-whatever."

Sooraya: "Valerie, Cooper."

Remy: "That's it. Took her a little while."

Sooraya: "There are much politics here. Similar to my home."

Remy: "Yeah well we have to be careful not to draw attention to ourselves. If any media get any wind of a mutant problem, then we all become the enemy again."

Sooraya: "That explains why the police didn't go after Juggernaut. It's exactly like home. Will they covertly try and bring him back in do you think?"

Remy: "Probably. I mean they should, it's their job. But if the media don't get wind of this, they're sure to get news of Juggernaut's capture whenever they do bring him in again. I don't know how the cops would spin the story."

Sooraya: "Maybe they blame the X-Men."

Remy: "Maybe they would. Definitely wouldn't be the first time. Let's hope Valerie gets us in the clear here."

/

We go split screen into the prison establishment where Scott, Logan and Hank are being held. Valerie Cooper comes in with some officers and they open the door to the cage.

Scott: "Valerie, thank you."

Valerie: "It's alright Scott. Though your wife wasn't too polite when asking for my help. Maybe remind her that we're on the same side?"

Scott: "We're not married, but my apologies. She's feisty. We all know that."

Logan: "Oh yeah."

Hank: "Thank you Miss Cooper. Is there a process by which the officers here are tracking down Juggernaut?"

Valerie: "That's private information Hank, but nice try. I suggest you all go home. I convinced them here that you had wind of Magneto coming to break Juggernaut out. You were trying to keep him in, but you were outnumbered."

Scott: "That's not untrue."

Valerie: "Exactly. Stick to that story. If you go out there after them now there will be a fight on the streets. That's the last thing mutants need."

Hank: "It seems laying low would be the best way to go for now."

Logan: "So we ain't going after those chumps?"

Scott: "No, we're not. Thanks Val. Will you keep me posted if you do find Juggernaut?"

Valerie: "Good day Scott."

Logan, Hank and Beast exit the vicinity as Logan mutters that he can see why Emma doesn't like Valerie.

/

Back at the warehouse, Erik and Raven are trying to build a rapport with Cloak and Dagger.

Erik: "Why did you help us?"

Tandy: "We saw the news. Wanda on the streets. And we saw you too. When you disappeared we found you in Poland and we've been following you ever since."

Raven: "Why?"

Ty': "We want to find Wanda, for real."

Erik: "I don't know where my daughter is. But that's exactly what our end game is, to find her. I want her back in my life. I have to know she's ok."

Tandy: "That's not your only reason for finding her. We deal in realms of truth. Think twice before you lie."

Erik: "Alright. We want to find Wanda so that the world can go back to the way it was. Humans and mutants, in almost equal measure."

Raven: "But you already knew that, so tell us; why did you help us escape?"

Ty': "We want the mutants to have their powers back too."

There's a pause as we see Quicksilver zoom in and out of the warehouse, back and forth, eventually bringing a whole buffet to the venue.

/

Scott, Logan and Hank get back onto the Blackbird. They communicate with Emma.

Scott: "Emma, we're out. We're coming back home."

Emma: "You're not going after Magneto?"

Scott: "No. We've been warned off that as it might cause a media problem. We'll devise a plan when we get back to the mansion."

Emma: "Damn it. Fine. Are you alright?"

Scott: "All good. See you soon."

Hank starts up the Blackbird.

Remy: "Anyone know where Magneto got a rocket launcher? And where de hell Toad came from?"

Logan: "That little twerp was probably with Erik all along. He don't have a life unless he's stooging for somebody."

Scott: "I agree. The rocket launcher is the most concerning matter. If they come to Egypt with weapons like that, Storm's wedding will become a huge mess."

Dust: "That may be inevitable."

Scott nods.

/

Split screen to the warehouse. Cloak and Dagger explain that they were present when Wanda said 'no more mutants.'

Ty': "The world changed and it's not been for the better. People were at a point of acceptance, where it was considered a normal everyday thing to meet or to know a person with powers. What Wanda's done is rewound time. She's made it so evolution has gone back a few decades. She hasn't realised what peril it's left mutants in, and others with powers. The world's more in danger now than it's ever been. I've seen the worst of what could happen. Believe me, the world needs mutants."

Raven: "What are you some kind of profit?"

Tandy: "He's not. He sees the worst possible scenario. I see the best. The problem is, the best I see is dark."

Raven: "You wanna explain that?"

Tandy: "I don't know how. All we know is that we didn't have these issues before. Since Decimation Day, my visions of hope have faded to black."

Ty': "It can't be coincidence that the visions have happened since D-Day. So now we're here. It's not fair that we have to struggle and lay low just because you all have problems at home. Tandy seeing darkness, that's too much of a worry. We need a light and we hope Wanda can restore it."

Erik: "My daughter did what she did for her reasons. She was intensely emotional. But what you're saying takes on a whole new meaning. Who did you touch for your visions? How do you know the world needs mutants?"

Tandy: "We're not gonna tell you that. Obviously there are issues of trust here. All we want is for Wanda to make things right. You are on the road to finding her aren't you? We gather you want the same thing, to have your powers back?"

Erik: "I do. But only as a bonus, if it turns out as the best conclusion. Most of all I want my Wanda safe."

Ty': "Have you ever thought about the idea, that if you found her, what if she didn't have any powers? What if she couldn't turn things back?"

Erik: "That's what scares you. It's what scares her," he says looking at Tandy.

Ty': "As we have touched upon; Tandy and I never had these fears before Decimation Day. And since then the trauma has increased. We're hoping that Wanda is the solution. She was our friend too. If we talk to her, even if she doesn't restore her father's powers, she has to think about the fate of the world."

Raven: "How do we know we can trust you? These fears of yours, you could be making them up. And if all you see is black then you really can't read my hopes can you blondie?"

Tandy: "I like keeping people on their toes. We've gotten you this far. Even if you don't trust us, we'll try and help. It's up to you if you accept our assistance or not. But we won't kill for you. We're hoping, with the idea of mutants keeping a low profile, you're not going to resort to your previous evil ways."

Erik: "I like you. You're very honest. But to be frank with you, you may not like our plan. It may turn out that the world is ended as we know it."

Ty': "What do you mean? Wanda wiping out everybody?"

Erik: "No. Our plan is to wake En Sabah Nur. With his telepathic powers he can locate Wanda and then she can restore the world's mutant population."

Tyrone and Tandy look at one another.

Raven: "What?"

Ty': "Something makes sense now."

Erik: "What?"

Tandy: "We received invitations recently, for Storm's wedding. And the wedding's happening in Egypt."

Ty': "Right by the pyramids."

Tandy: "Right over the tomb…"

Raven: "Of En Sabah Nur."

Erik stands up off the sofa in a rage. "Fuck! Storm's wedding's in Egypt?! Why? How the hell could they have known of our plan?!"

Raven: "I'll give you a quick silvery guess. Your son has a big mouth."

Erik: "Damn it. So everyone's invited to this wedding. Who's she even marrying?"

Ty': "The Black Panther."

Erik: "Ergh! Wakanda'ns, Wakanda'ns are going to be there too? This is not right. We need a clear path to En Sabah Nur. This makes our quest near impossible now."

Raven: "So what, so what if there are people there. They won't stop us. We'll fight them to get through and they'll want the least collateral damage as possible."

Tandy: "No. We won't kill as part of your crusade!"

Erik: "You won't have to. You don't even have to remain by our sides. The information you've provided us helps us and what you did to help us break Cain out does not go unnoticed. We will devise a plan to complete our mission. The two of you don't have to be a part of it."

Ty': "No. It's better if we are. We have invites, so we can get in and be your eyes and ears within the guests while you make your mark underground. None of the X-Men saw us help you breaking Juggernaut free, so we can be oversights that they won't see coming."

Tandy: "So we'll get you in, help you do whatever you need to, but we do it as quietly as possible. If we have to knock people out it's fine. But no killing."

Raven: "We can't guarantee that."

Ty': "If you kill anyone we pull the plug and we make sure the X-Men and every Wakanda'n at that wedding know where you are. We stay on the same page and we all get what we want."

Erik: "Alright. That's fair. But what's out of our control is En Sabah Nur. If he wakes and decides to destroy the world, then we'll all be dead."

Ty': "That's the risk we'll take. It's all or nothing."

Tandy: "As long as you keep to your end of the bargain. If and when you find Wanda, you get her to reset everything. The world can't stay like this. There has to be hope."

Erik: "I just want my daughter back. My family."

Tandy: "We know. But we also know that's not quite Mystique's plan."

Raven: "You self righteous little cu-"

Erik: "Raven, calm. She already said she can't see clarity in her visions. She's yanking your chain."

Dagger and Mystique eyeball one another as Pietro runs to them and offers to replenish their food. Erik begins voicing a plan, stating that they will need to consider every possible obstacle at the wedding. They'll need a team, bigger than what they have now. He says they may need Gateway again, to find some old friends of his.

Cain: "Who you thinkin' boss?"

We fast-forward into imagery of Erik and co finding various old allies. This is a similar sequence of scenes as to the one from X-Men First Class, when Erik and Charles went to recruit mutants. First they find Blob, in a scene where Erik says that the worst human trait that mutants have is their predictability. The fast forward goes on to show Erik and co finding Avalanche in Europe. He's more than happy to be a part of the team because "this stifled life is so boring!"

During the fast forward we hear Cloak and Dagger suggest that this could all be done after the wedding. Erik insists, saying he wants to find his daughter and he's sick of being a mere human. He tells Cloak and Dagger that they have to be all-in or they can get out; fights may ensue against the X-Men, but as long as they keep them busy, he can do what's needed to ensure the rise of Apocalypse.

The final person they go to is Sabretooth, in Canada. Erik explains to his group that they need to have all angles covered, so Sabretooth being the sworn enemy of Wolverine would guarantee that Logan would be too distracted to focus on his task at hand.

Erik says: "the X-Men wear that X with the promise of being united, but they're not going to know what's hit them at this wedding. You all do your jobs, we wake Apocalypse and the world will be ours again!"

Pietro looks at Raven: "Is this what you had in mind?"

Raven: "This is exactly what I wanted. Magneto is coming back."

/

We fade to Giza where Mary Jane and Peter Parker are talking in their room. MJ says that she hopes the Wakanda'ns keep all their buildings here. MJ goes to their balcony to embrace the sun: "Isn't it wonderful? It's like a vacation resort. I must try talk to Ororo, or do you think T'Challa's the best person to ask?"

Peter, laying on the bed in only his shorts: "What, to get them to keep all this here? I'm not sure MJ. If the Egyptians wanted their pyramids to be vacation resorts they would have made them as such years ago. I think this all affects the sanctity of the history of this place."

MJ: "So you think the Wakanda'ns will just knock it all down and leave it as sand?"

Peter: "I'd say that would be the right thing to do."

MJ, walking back into their room, eyeballing Peter and removing her panties: "That's one of the best things I love about you Pete. You always do the right thing." She smiles and throws her panties at Peter, who doesn't seem flustered.

/

We see Kitty Pryde playing tennis in a court around the outside of the hotel-like building that we'd just seen Parker and MJ in. She's playing against Okoye. From over his shoulder, with a café along the terrace beside the tennis court we zoom out and reveal Piotr Rasputin. A hand pats him on the shoulder. Piotr turns to shake hands and greet Luke Cage.

"Pete. My favourite bullet-proof mutant, how you doing man?"

Piotr: "Oh I'm fine. It's good to see you. You're looking very well."

Cage: "Thanks, I'd say you do too, but are you still babysittin' Wade? I hear he's a bit of a pain in the ass?"

Piotr: "No. That was while ago. I don't know where he is now. It's fine, but I doubt he's invited to this wedding. The man's far too disrespectful."

Cage: "I hear ya. So are you here from Russia?"

Piotr: "Da."

Cage: "What you been doin' over there?"

Piotr: "Similar to you. Trying to maintain the safety of my people. But I do it from a field or forest, not a busy night club like yours."

Cage: "Oh come on, you can't get an office job or a bouncer's gig or something?"

Piotr: "I not fit in suit very well. And bouncer? Well I don't like confrontation. Always been my weakness."

Cage: "Well man, I tell ya, if you're ever back in New York and need a job, I could use you at Harlem's Paradise. People see Colossus at the doors, they won't bring drugs or guns anywhere near my club. In fact you and I could do a lot of good together you know – without gettin' into fights."

Piotr: "I thank you Luke. You are good guy. I will think, if I ever return to US. At moment my country needs me."

Cage: "You sure? You just said all you're doing is manual labour?"

Piotr: "Da, but there's trouble about to escalate in Russia. As long as the government know I'm there, my hope is they don't do anything stupid to wage civil war."

Cage: "Damn. Things not good over there huh?"

Piotr: "The government cannot be trusted to ensure progress for my nation."

Cage: "Damn man, and I thought I had problems in Harlem. You're like Russia's Captain America you know. Captain Colossus, has a nice ring to it."

Piotr chuckles: "I think not. I work quietly and with the police and authorities. Government legislation holds police back and the corruption leaves sour taste in mouth. So I act as equaliser. Sometimes. I know you are no saint in Harlem and neither is Rogers in America. Internal conflict is never good for the big picture."

Cage: "I feel ya."

Piotr: "Harlem is in problems?"

Cage: "Well not as much as it used to be. I'm trying to figure out a way of people respecting the law rather than fearing me. If respect was there, I could clear out of Harlem's Paradise. I wouldn't have to be a gangster."

Piotr: "You keep your peace with fear. By scaring villains?"

Cage: "In a way, yeah. But myself as a weapon is all I got."

Piotr: "That makes you vulnerable no? A target of kidnap or murder."

Cage: "Why'd you think I'm offering you a job?"

Piotr smiles: "Maybe one day my friend."

Cage and Piotr keep watching the tennis out the window.

Cage: "You talk to her yet?"

Piotr shakes his head.

Cage: "She know you're here?"

Piotr: "Don't think so."

Cage sighs: "I don't know why you're not together, but take it from me, if you can have something special, grab it. You don't know what tomorrow brings and it's better to be with the one you love, than without."

Piotr looks at him quizzically: "Says you?"

Cage laughs: "Hey I'm just sayin'. You and Kitty both have powers. My situation is different. Your girl can take care of herself."

Piotr: "Not my girl. Not for long time. Anyway, she looks fine. Most happy."

Cage: "But ya miss her though."

Piotr: "Da."

/

Back in Peter and MJ's room, we see Mary Jane with her head between Peter's legs. She's pleasuring him, but looks up and moves to the side, putting her hand on Pete's chest. Peter barely looks at her.

MJ: "Pete? Am I doing anything wrong?"

He shakes his head.

MJ: "Er, well how about a dance? Want me to shake my butt in your lap?" She reaches to rub his penis with her hand.

Peter: "No MJ. I'm really sorry." He gets up off the bed, putting on shorts.

MJ: "What's the matter?"

Peter looks at her and as the sunlight beams into the room he blinks and from his point of view we see Gwen Stacey on the bed instead of MJ. Then he moves to ensure the sun's not in his eye. He goes to the door handle and opens it. "MJ. I don't know. It might be the jet lag."

MJ: "But Pete, we've been here for days."

Peter: "I know. I'm really sorry. Maybe it's the air here. Not as polluted as New York."

MJ: "You need pollution to make love to me?"

Peter: "No MJ, that's all wrong. Just, I, I'll be back, I'm sorry ok?" He exits the room and leaves Mary Jane sad on her bed.

/

Over in the US, Scott is in the gym going at a punchbag. He looks intense and we see flashes of Decimation Day and Scarlet Witch uttering the words 'no more mutants.' Scott punches harder and faster. He sees flashes of Emma, his relationship with her in Wanda's alternate world. He was happy and the two of them were married. We see a flash of Jean Grey's gravestone. Scott keeps punching and then we see Wolverine enter the gym. He has a cigar in his mouth.

Scott: "How many times do we have to tell you to stop smoking around the house?"

Logan: "Ah damn it. I didn't think anyone was awake." He puts the cigar out as we see the clock on the wall says 5:40am. "Why are you in here anyway? Shouldn't our fearless leader be working out in the Danger Room like a normal mutant?"

Scott keeps punching the bag. Logan goes to hold the other side of it so that Summers can feel the punch more.

Scott: "I couldn't sleep. Emma couldn't either, but overnight is a time when she needs her space I think."

Logan: "I thought that was the best time for you two to do your pillow talk."

Scott: "It was. Since she's been pregnant, and since D-Day actually, she hasn't been the best sleeper. I get through it most nights, but tonight my helplessness brought me here to blow off some steam. Why are you up?"

Logan: "Couldn't sleep. I was coming in here to lift some weights. Maybe tire myself out. You gotta realise that a lack of sleep ain't good for ya bub."

Scott: "Coming from you?"

Logan: "I heal. Meaning my mind heals of tiredness too. The X-Men aren't going to be in the best hands if you're drowsy on the job."

Scott: "That's never been a problem."

Logan: "It could be. The other factor is that you're older than you was ten years ago. Not as athletic. Not as agile. You're gonna have to be a warrior out there for us when it matters and you'll need to be awake to do so. All this shit's really buggin' ya ain't it? Hasn't Cooper told you anything?"

Scott: "No, she's keeping a lid on any information, if she has any at all."

Logan: "You ain't told her 'bout the wedding plans have ya?"

Scott: "Of course not. I know you don't like me, but don't insult my intelligence Wolverine."

Logan: "Alright bub, so why don'tcha tell me what's really eatin' ya?"

Scott: "It's been days since we got back here. To think that Magneto got Juggernaut, makes me feel like he got what he wanted. And you know what, it may turn out that Juggernaut destroys Storm's wedding. I can't help but feel guilty for that. She deserves better."

Logan: "So Erik's one up on us, so what? We don't keep score. We win in the end, that's what matters. And Storm wouldn't have put her wedding in Egypt if she and the Panther weren't willing to help."

Scott: "The sacrifice is huge."

Logan: "And it's their choice. You being lost in your head over shit you can't control won't help us now. The plan is to get to Giza, get set for the wedding and have every contingency in place to battle Magneto and co. So look forward to it, I sure as hell do."

Scott: "You look forward to the conflict because you enjoy the fight Logan. Things are different for me."

Logan: "Why, because you're gonna be a dad? Ain't that more of a reason to fight?"

Scott: "I don't know. It kind of diverts my focus. As if I'm already looking over my shoulder to make sure my daughter's ok."

Logan: "But you can't control what may or may not happen to her or with her in her life. And you have Emma too. A woman who can hold her own against most of the world. All the worries you're havin' are in ya head."

Scott: "That's why I'm in here trying to punch them away."

Logan: "So hit."

Scott whacks the punchbag.

"Hit harder!"

Scott hits it again.

"You are Cyclops. You've brought us together."

Scott keeps punching, harder and harder, becoming stronger it seems.

"You're a leader, of us and your family to be. You battle. You fight. You win. Win Cyclops, punch. Hit it. Harder!"

Scott punches and punches and then loses control over his eyes and blasts a red beam into the chain atop the punchbag, breaking it and then turning to blast the mirrors and cause a racket in the process. He stops and he's on his knees, panting.

Logan walks over slowly and looks at the mess. "We really need a maid in this place."

Scott stands up. "I'm going to bed. I'll clean this up in the morning. Goodnight."

Logan: "Night."

Scott leaves the gym and we see Logan shake his head as he looks at the clock and it's gone 6am.

/

We see that Magneto's team has grown into including Mystique, Quicksilver, Toad, Juggernaut, Cloak, Dagger, Blob, Avalanche and Sabretooth. They're in Sabretooth's cabin in a very cold part of Canada. Most of them we see are asleep, but Pietro and Erik are awake. Erik says he'd go out for a morning stroll and to get some wood for the fire. Pietro says that he'd speed out and get the wood and he asks his dad to join him for the stroll. They walk and talk, discussing what happens next; the plan that they go to Egypt and try to wake a mutant God while causing the least amount of chaos as possible.

Pietro: "You know Mystique is looking forward to you getting your powers back. You're getting used to the idea too aren't ya?"

Erik: "Yes. Leading you all is false. Bravado. I feel no strength. I need my mutant abilities to ensure I am powerful enough to complete the mission."

Pietro: "What happened to wanting the family back?"

Erik: "I do want our family back. What's your problem boy? Did you not want the same, for Wanda to restore mutants all over the earth?"

Pietro: "I do dad. But I worry what it'd do to you. Wanda was pretty mad at you, which is why all this happened in the first place. She's gonna wanna know you've changed."

Erik: "That's where Cloak and Dagger are a big help. Wanda will see that our intentions are good, because they are trusting us to find her and restore the mutant population."

Pietro: "Dad, that's manipulation. That's not you changing at all."

Erik: "Well what do you want me to say? I won't lie to you son, I'm telling you like it is. Your sister will know too, I will tell her if we find her; I want equality, not domination. Not the alternate world she put us in. I just want normality, for us."

They keep walking. Eventually Pietro asks what's needed to bring En Sabah Nur to life.

Erik looks up at the sky as dawn breaks: "Sunlight."


	10. Episode 10

EPISODE 10:

Emma is sat on her bed, in somewhat of a bad mood. Scott is packing his suitcase.

Scott: "We agreed. It won't be safe for you over there. There won't be anything you can do."

Emma: "But I'll be stuck here, doing what? Being worried about you all, it'll be torture."

Scott: "It's a decision we've taken for your safety and the baby's. Heck, it was your idea."

Emma: "Maybe, I said _maybe_ I shouldn't go."

Scott: "And you were right." Scott crawls over the bed toward her, kissing her cheek. "So look after our baby girl and I will be home before you know it."

/

We see a clips of numerous flights leaving various airports all over the world. All destinations being Cairo, Egypt.

/

We see a sped up video of Erik Lehnsherr and his team mapping the pyramid of Khufu. They seem to be planning their way in to ensure the awakening of En Sabah Nur.

/

We see taxis arriving at the Black Panther Complex in Giza. Friends of The Black Panther and Storm step out of vehicles and they head into the hotel-like building. Familiar faces include Tony Stark, Warren Worthington and Bruce Banner. (To the naked eye, there are a mixture of heroes, Avengers, X-Men and others).

/

Cloak and Dagger are having a private conversation.

Tyrone: "We're not sure if our friends are going to get hurt."

Tandy: "I know. But there's no other way of doing this. Wanda left the world in a mess. There's nowhere for people with abilities to go."

Tyrone: "We agree on that, but what happens when the X-Men realise it's us?"

Tandy: "Oh come on, they're not X-Men anymore, they haven't been for a while."

Tyrone: "No. You saw what happened at the prison. That was the Blackbird, and it was Cyclops, Beast and Wolverine inside. They may not be fully united, but that team is there. We used to be a part of them."

Tandy: "When Xavier was around ok? After he disappeared everything changed. As if we were part of the team only because he said so. You think Emma Frost really liked us or cared about us?"

Tyrone: "Tandy none of them were disingenuous to us. I know I'd much rather be with them, than with Magneto's Brotherhood."

Tandy: "I would much rather it be us. Us against the world, but we have our own motives here. As soon as it's done you and I will escape and let the chips fall where they may. We don't have to answer to the X-Men or Magneto. We'll get what we want and leave. That's our plan." Tandy is looking out of a window where we see over her shoulder. Signs and culture signify that she and Cloak are in the city of Cairo.

/

We split-screen to one of the final people arriving. He gets out of his taxi, blue from head to toe. He is escorted into the building by Wakanda'ans and he introduces himself. "I am Kurt Wagner, the amazing Nightcrawler."

We hear a voice: "Kurt!" and over comes -

"Jubilee!" Kurt turns to embrace her and the two of them talk about what an amazing scene the Wakanda'ans had set up for Storm's wedding. Kurt says that he's wondering who else will be here.

Jubilee says she was one of the last women to arrive and that she's looking forward to a pampering tomorrow along with Storm and everyone else.

"What about the men?" Kurt asks.

"Oh I don't know about that. Have a stroll around here. Maybe you'll bump into one of the guys." Jubilee runs off. "Gotta go Kurt. It's great to see you!"

Kurt: "Where are you going?"

Jubilee shouts: "I'm helping with the firework display!" Jubilee runs and bumps into a broad-shouldered man. "Wow. Well you're a hunk-a-hunk. Mister America."

Steve Rogers smiles. "It's Captain, Jubilee."

Jubilee: "I know. I always like having fun with ya Cap'." She leaves and Rogers walks into the building. Kurt greets him and the two approach the Reception desk.

/

T'challa and Ororo are in Wakanda, in Shuri's lab talking to Reed Richards.

T'challa: "You are sure, this will cover Giza?"

Reed: "Correct. You'll have the same protection as you have here."

Ororo: "This is great. A failsafe to ensure Apocalypse doesn't get out."

Shuri comes into the picture: "Lets hope so my sister. Tomorrow we put these cylinders into place. More importantly we have some drinks eh? Two nights before the wedding, some entertainment?"

T'challa: "Shuri, what are you getting my Ororo into? I very much doubt she will want a hangover on her wedding day."

Ororo: "That's right. And I have made it very clear. The girls will gather and we can do some cultural things, but alcohol for me is out of the question."

Shuri tuts: "T'challa, such a spoil sport."

T'challa waves over Wakanda'ans to take the big heavy cylinders onto the trolley. He commands them to take them to the aircraft and get them to Giza.

Reed to Shuri as they walk off: "You're doing a bachelorette party? I thought we weren't supposed to do such things."

Shuri: "We're not, but the girls are going to gather to talk about you boys anyway."

Reed: "Is my wife in Giza?"

Shuri: "Oh she landed hours ago. With lots of drinks. Apparently Johnny is well connected."

Reed: "Damn. You couldn't have discussed this with me throughout our work here? What am I supposed to do for your brother?"

Shuri: "You're the Best Man Mr. Fantastic. I'm sure that genius brain can think of something."

The camera pans back toward the bride and groom to be. They hold both of one another's hands.

Ororo: "This is the last I'll see of you before we Wed," she touches his face, "you look distracted."

He shakes off his worries and smiles: "From you? No. I think of only our wedding day."

Ororo: "And the turmoil that could ensue?"

T'challa: "It could. But we know our vows. We know our love will survive anything. It will be an instant test and instant victory."

Ororo: "Yet you are nervous?"

T'challa: "No. The fight will be easy, if they dare bring one."

Ororo: "Nervous about the wedding?"

T'challa doesn't answer.

Ororo: "T'challa?"

T'challa: "We haven't done a walkthough. No rehearsal for the day. We'll go back to Giza tonight, but there's one day of nothing before I dedicate the rest of my life to you."

Ororo kisses him, first on his cheek and then incredibly slowly on his lips. "T'challa. Are you nervous?" she says with a big smile.

He holds her by the waist and pulls her closer, kissing her cheek. "I have never lied to you, but this line of questioning does not reflect well upon your respect for the King."

She kisses his neck and ear, "aahh, I love when my Panther accepts that he is a King, ruler of Wakanda and most generous not-nervous-at-all warrior of the world."

T'challa: "Exactly. You know me so well. And you know that I am nervous as hell." The two laugh and affectionately touch one another. They are happy, kissing.

Shuri shouts to them: "Hey! Lets go!"

Ororo hugs her fiancé once more and says "see you soon."

T'challa: "I love you."

Ororo: "I love you." Ororo walks down toward Shuri as she passes Reed.

Reed walks to T'challa: "We gotta get going too bud. Giza awaits."

T'challa: "Yes." T'challa keeps staring toward his bride-to-be.

/

The sun sets and rises over Giza and we are one day from the wedding. We go from window to window on the outside of the Complex. Shadow/silhouettes show Hank McCoy hanging upside down, reading a book. We see a guy on the phone, presumably Scott Summers calling Emma at home. We see what looks like a couple arguing; Peter Parker and Mary-Jane Watson. We see Colossus out on his balcony, taking in the fresh air. Wolverine joins him and has a smoke. We see a couple having sex; Sooraya and Remy.

The camera zooms in on Sooraya and Remy's window. She rolls out of bed and gets sets to go in the shower. We see glimpses of her face and body, but never fully nude.

Remy: "You coming back to bed after your prayers?"

Sooraya: "No. I'll go for a workout, then an early breakfast. The girls are meeting at 8am."

Remy: "8am, for the pampering day right?"

Sooraya: "Yes. What will you do?"

Remy: "Babe I don't even know who de Best Man is. Your God only knows what we boys be doing."

Sooraya: "There's only one God Remy."

Remy: "Tell dat to Apocalypse when he wakes up."

Sooraya: "If he wakes up. Plus, I would tell him. He may try and kill me, but I would say to him that he's not God."

Remy looks Sooraya up and down: "I guess he can't be a God if he can't create anything. Damn, the God that created you is quite the creator!"

Sooraya smirks and throws her nightgown at Remy before stepping into the shower. "Go to sleep Cajun."

/

Steve Rogers is up and in the breakfast buffet area at 7am. From over his shoulder we see him looking out the window. Tony Stark is on a morning run. Into the dining hall steps Daisy Johnson. It's hard to miss one another as they're the only ones in there at the time. Rogers gets up and makes his way toward her, carrying a cup of water.

Steve: "I didn't know Inhumans were invited to this wedding."

Daisy: "I didn't know ancient soldiers were invited here either."

Steve: "Well we are in Egypt. This is where ancient soldiers reside is it not?"

Daisy smiles and half-hugs Steve. "It's good to see you Cap'."

The two grab a plate and serve themselves up some breakfast.

/

As the clock ticks, more who's-who's of the Marvel Universe step into the dining hall, but noticeably the females all leave by 8am. After 8:15am, Reed Richards sits down with Steve Rogers.

"Steve, I need your help."

Steve: "What is it? Is there some trouble?"

Reed looks the hall over. From his point of view we see The Thing talking to Beast. Peter Parker talking to Kurt Wagner. Luke Cage, Colossus and Bruce Banner having a chat. Many others included.

Reed says: "This is incredibly important."

Steve leans in: "Ok. So what's the problem?"

Reed: "Tag! You're it!"

Reed then runs off as the rest of the men murmur. Steve sees a blinking patch sticker stuck on his arm.

Steve stands up: "What?"

T'challa walks into the dining room, looking fresh and ready for the day, his last before marriage. He looks at Rogers and says: "It seems there is a day of games ahead Captain."

Reed: "That's right. We have It right now, football after lunch and then a basketball tournament after dinner tonight. Tag someone Cap', you're it!"

Rogers: "Oh God damn it." Rogers peels off the patch and walks over to The Thing, taps him on the arm and slaps the patch on him: "Tag!"

Hank McCoy gets up and moves away slowly. The rest of the room get up and begin moving toward the exits too.

Reed: "Oh and by the way, that tag patch has a DNA reader on it. By lunch, if you're the one that's been tagged the most, you get to be the main usher at the wedding tomorrow." He eyeballs The Thing and says: "And you'll have to wear a suit. And be polite!"

The Thing: "Fuck." He gets up, but there is no one within arm's reach. He peels off the patch and stretches toward Peter Parker, but Spidey shoots a web and pulls himself up toward the open window. The Thing begins to march as everyone scurries out the door.

/

A number of Marvel's finest female heroes are laid with towels around their bodies and cucumber slices over their eyes. The music is mellow and all is calm. They talk, addressing the fact that Emma Frost isn't able to be at the wedding.

Kitty Pryde: "She might've pooped the party anyway."

Natasha Romanov: "Why have you two never gotten along?"

Kitty: "She thinks she's above me. Above most women probably. Just because she can read minds she thinks she knows people."

Daisy Johnson: "I hear ya. Getting respect in our line of work is tough, but when someone can read your mind, you always feel you have to convince them of your worth."

Jubilee: "I always ignored Emma. I mean she found her way and all, but I only took real guidance from the Professor, Jean and Storm."

Shuri: "Now Storm will lead, as Queen of Wakanda."

Ororo: "Please Shuri. I wouldn't want anything to change me as a person."

Shuri: "And it won't. You are the embodiment of a Queen. Cleopatra would be proud to have you as her heir in Egypt. My brother is infinitely more proud that he has someone who knows exactly how to conduct herself."

Susan Storm: "She's not wrong Ororo. You are an amazon of a woman."

Ororo: "I'm not sure if you all are being nice because it's my wedding tomorrow or because you're all getting yourselves pampered at no cost to any of you."

Mary-Jane: "I know I wouldn't know where to start. I look down when I walk, whereas you hold yourself high and walk with such presence and posture. No way could I be a Queen. Not that Pete's any kind of Prince or King nowerdays."

Daisy: "Why'd you say that?"

Jubilee: "Yeah MJ, what's going on?" MJ hesitates, shy to tell her story. The girls sit up and Wakanda'an servants remove their cucumber peels and begin to do their pedicures.

Shuri pipes up: "Ok, this will be part of our day. Everyone has to say something that is personal, but remains a secret between just us girls. It has to be a current private problem, something top secret from the past, or you have to answer a personal question. We enhance our bond, but encourage one another to keep our minds sharp, eyes open and legs closed."

Ororo: "Shuri! What would you know about opening your legs?"

Shuri laughs: "Oh sister, I don't know much, but for Luke Cage I'm sure I can find out what to do. I bet that man is so delicious!"

The girls laugh.

Kitty: "Come on guys, MJ's upset, we have to help her."

Shuri: "Yes, talk talk and help, just like Sex and the City!"

Natasha: "Alright I'm in. But if any of you ask me something too personal I might have to kill you before we leave Giza."

Everyone else agrees to reveal something about themselves too. Then they look at Sooraya.

She says: "How will I know to trust any of you? I have only just begun being an X-Man. In fact I'm not even sure if I am one."

Ororo: "You are. Scott speaks highly of you as does everyone else at the Mansion. You only have friends here."

Sooraya: "Not everyone. Emma has taken time to get used to having a religious presence at the mansion. And every so often I get a grunt or odd comment from Wolverine."

Ororo: "Oh? I wonder what Logan's problem could be."

Kitty: "He's probably in the same boat as you Sooraya. Not sure whether to trust anyone? You're new to the group, so maybe his extra grunts are just his way of sniffing you out. Has he approached you in any way?"

Sooraya: "Not one on one, not since we first met."

Kitty: "Then you're fine. If he had a real problem with you he'd find you and say it to your face."

Ororo: "Yes, very true. Not one for avoiding conflict is Wolverine."

Sooraya: "Ororo, even you will reveal something then? In this bonding experience?"

Ororo, hesitant: "Yes."

Natasha puts her arms around Sooraya: "Besides. If anyone lets anything go beyond our circle, I'll hunt them down for you and kill them myself. And that goes for you servants too. Did you hear anything?" She says, raising her voice toward the servants.

Ororo addresses them in Wakanda'an, then says: "They won't say anything. No one wants the Black Widow after them."

Shuri: "No one would want Dust after them either."

Sooraya smiles.

Natasha: "Floor is yours MJ."

/

Elsewhere in Cairo; Erik and his team are gathered around a table and they're continuing the formulation of their plan, apparently not happy with what they had come up with previously.

Avalanche: "Ergh, but if you go that way while they're over here then that will cause that pillar to fall."

Juggernaut: "So? That pillar will drop eventually anyway."

Avalanche: "But aren't we sticking to the rules? Cloak and Dagger said no killing."

Blob: "Who gives a shit what they say."

Sabretooth: "I agree. They don't wanna kill, don't mean that we can't."

Tyrone: "You do realise we are here and we can hear you?"

Raven: "They're too stupid to notice that."

Sabretooth: "You wanna shut up Mystique? We're all here doin' you and Silvie a favour to get Erik his powers back. We could easily leave and shaft you you know."

Raven: "Shaft? Are you sure you wanna shaft this ass Victor?"

Sabretooth looks around to see that Mystique has turned into an image of Wolverine. Sabretooth growls and launches himself toward her and a skirmish ensues. Toad cheers on both sides as Avalanche, Cloak and Quicksilver try to split them up. Blob and Juggernaut stay remaining seated eating ribs.

Tandy gets up and moves away from the table shaking her head. "We're never gonna get this right."

Juggernaut to Blob: "Girl needs to relax. We know why we're here. We're goin' to cause a mess. Mess don't need to have a plan."

Blob, engrossed in his food: "You say somethin'?"

Juggernaut, chewing: "What?"

The camera pans and we go to another room within the same vicinity. Erik is talking to a gentleman in a cloak. The pair of them shake hands.

Gentleman: "You have my allegiance. Quite the circus you have in there though."

Erik: "They're like siblings. They irritate one another and they fight. Friendly fire would not surprise me at the wedding."

Gentleman: "And you're sure you want to go through with this on the actual wedding day?"

Erik: "It has to be that day. My Brotherhood, yourself, Cloak and Dagger. I'm confident that our mission will be a success."

Gentleman: "Just don't forget our agreement."

Erik: "Don't worry Victor. You're welcome to have your way with Reed Richards. I'm positive he'll be at the wedding."

The gentleman steps out of the shadow to reveal himself: "Everyone will be at this wedding."

Erik: "As will you, Doctor Doom."

Doom smiles: "As will you, Magneto."


	11. Episode 11

EPISODE 11:

We see the beautiful Black Panther Complex. A number of heroes are running out of the cafeteria.

Tony Stark: "Do I really have to run? Running's not my style."

As he walks at a brisk pace, we see The Thing coming after him. All of a sudden Angel flies from above Stark and lifts him by the hand, pulling him to the sky out of The Thing's reach.

Thing: "Hey! That's not fair. I wasn't after you Angel!"

Angel: "Sorry Thing, I gotta take Tony 'cause we have work to do."

Thing: "Arrgh!"

Thing walks along and tries to search for other guests of the Black Panther/Storm wedding party. Colossus is walking along with Luke Cage. They notice Thing and start running.

Thing: "Hey, come here!"

/

The girls are all laughing as they sit in their robes and sip champagne.

Jubilee: "I am too young for this conversation. So that's why Budapest was such a secret? My God."

Natasha: "It wasn't so bad, as long as you weren't squeamish. Shuri, you alright?"

Shuri looks like she's about to throw up.

Daisy: "I think we should get her some water."

Ororo calls over a servant and asks for a jug of water with glasses and ice.

Kitty: "So Susan, what about you? What have you to reveal to us?"

Susan: "Er, well isn't it your turn? Or Ororo's?"

Ororo: "I'm going dead last, so you ladies keep talking."

Susan: "Daisy?"

Daisy: "I've had my turn."

Susan: "Shuri?"

Shuri gulps some water that has come her way: "My secret is; I'm no hero. And I no longer give a fuck about branching out in the world. In fact I think I want to go home. Your hero life is not for me."

The girls laugh.

Kitty: "Susan? So?"

Susan: "Alright alright, but I don't know what to tell you."

Natasha: "I'm sure we all want to know a specific something. About Reed?"

Susan smiles: "Come on, some of you already know the answer to this question."

Sooraya: "What question?"

Daisy: "Susan's husband Reed, he can er, stretch."

Sooraya: "Stretch?"

The other girls nod.

Kitty: "Mmm, so it can er, I mean it goes…"

Susan: "_It, _goes, yes it goes. As long as I want it to go."

The girls pause and there is an inaudible gasp.

Daisy: "Can he control it? I mean, does it wiggle?"

Jubilee: "That must be sorta like havin' a long finger up there right."

Shuri becomes nauseous: "Fuck sake. I think I'm going to be sick."

/

Thing: "Gotcha! Ha, you're it!"

Logan: "While I'm on the crapper, really?"

Thing is stood atop a toilet in a cubicle next to Logan's. "Hey don't act like your shit don't stink. And it's your own fault for poopin' in here. Why didn't you go to your room?"

Logan: "Are you still here? I _had_ to go ok, this was the closest shitter. And can you stop leaning on the side of this thing, you're gonna knock it down."

Thing stands upright on the toilet. As he sets to hop off it the porcelain cracks and he makes a thud and cracks a few tiles as he hits the ground.

Thing: "Bye Logan. Enjoy catchin' one of us."

Logan shakes his head: "Fuckin' tag."

/

Bruce Banner, T'challa, Tony Stark and Warren Worthington are in a security room with Reed Richards at the control panel.

Tony: "Didn't you test this in Wakanda already?"

Reed: "We did, but the atmosphere and ground density here are different. It's important that we get the frequencies right in order to ensure we can trap En Sabr Nur."

Tony: "Not impressed Mr. Richards, to do this one day before the wedding. Doesn't seem like you're very prepared."

Bruce: "Tony it's frequencies are easily altered. It's not like we'd need to take the pillars apart. Reed knows what he's doing."

Warren to T'challa: "The pillars are in optimum position for the test?"

T'challa: "Yes. My people put them similarly to how the pillars are in Wakanda. Positioning should be fine."

Reed begins to charge up the shield. "Here we go."

We watch on the monitor as all the pillars remotely communicate with each other successfully.

Reed: "It's working guys."

The gents gather around to view the security shield in action.

Tony: "King Panther, a word?"

Tony and T'challa converse away from the others.

Tony: "You got my plans for the trapping of this guy?"

T'challa: "Yes. I made sure Happy was given access to the modified pillars."

Tony: "Good. I know it might not work, but it's the safest plan B we've got. We all know mutants don't know their own strengths at times, so keeping Nur trapped as best we can is the smartest way to go."

T'challa: "You and Bruce worked on the mechanism to coincide with your sciences. The pillars will respond to direction from your suit?"

Tony: "Yeah, with the help of the vibranium you gave me, that's the idea. Warren helped merge your technology with my suit too. We've made it so we can box Nur in if we need to. Whether he's strong enough to get out is a wait and see."

Bruce calls over; "Over here guys."

Tony and T'challa walk over and Reed explains how everything is in working order and how there is a way for people to get out of the shield's vicinity if they truly need to do so.

Warren: "I hope we don't have to use that. I'm sure Nur will find a loop hole if we have one in place. Literally a loop hole."

Bruce chuckles; "That's quite funny."

Tony: "You laugh at his jokes and you don't laugh at mine? I'm offended."

Reed: "Hey guys what do you say we go get warmed up for football huh? We've got a game after lunch. I propose it's us science guys against the brute athletes."

T'challa: "That's not one of your greatest ideas my friend."

Tony: "Yeah, Reed, are you kiddin' me? Us nerds against the likes of Colossus, Thing and Beast? Not to mention the speed and agility of Parker, Nightcrawler and Gambit. What are you tryna give'm the win?"

Reed proudly smiles: "But, Mr. Stark, we have a Hulk."

Bruce smiles as they all set to exit the security room.

Warren: "Bad idea."

Tony: "Exponentially stupid idea. You're a classic case of science-smart, but not street-smart Reed. I thought hanging out with Johnny would've helped you in that sense."

Reed to T'challa: "We have a Hulk, I've always wanted to say that."

All of a sudden there's a web shot directly at T'challa and we see Peter crawling atop a ceiling. The webbing has the tag patch sticker attached to it.

Reed moves away from T'challa. "Guys move, T'challa's It!"

Reed begins to run as do Bruce and Warren.

Peter: "Sorry Panth', I was dared to lay the tag on you."

T'challa: "By whom?"

Peter: "Wolverine."

T'challa: "But this nonsensical. I cannot be the Usher at my own wedding."

Peter: "I know, that's why it's funny."

Peter exits and we see that everyone else is gone, but Tony's only walking briskly.

Tony: "Warren? Buddy, a little help?"

But Worthington is already gone. Within a few split-seconds T'challa runs behind Tony and tags him with the patch sticker.

Tony: "Oh come on, me?"

T'challa runs off: "Yes and you better tag someone or else you'll be on your feet all day tomorrow."

Tony, under his breath: "God damnit Reed. A game of fucking tag. Why couldn't Cap' be the Best Man."

/

We see the girls lined up on their tummies and under towels. They lay beside one another in threes, within three adjoining rooms. Within their threes they can talk to one another. In the first room, Sooraya isn't on her tummy, nor is she only covered in a towel. She sits on a chair in between Kitty on one massage table and Shuri on the next.

Shuri: "This is the life. We never have time for such pampering."

Kitty: "I honestly don't know if I have ever been so relaxed."

The Wakanda'n servants continue massaging them both.

Shuri: "Sister, you are sure you don't want to join us. I'm sure your God would say it's best to be relaxed before such a big day."

Sooraya: "I'm alright, thanks. You know I still cannot stop thinking about the secrets the girls revealed. I learned so much today."

Shuri: "As did I. But please, no talk of blood ok? I have been sick enough as it is."

Kitty: "Maybe alcohol had too much to do with that Shuri, haha."

/

We see a man with red sunglasses and a cane walking into the main Black Panther Complex. He's at the Reception desk and from over his shoulder we can see Tony Stark tiptoeing.

Matt: "I can hear your heartbeat Tony."

Stark stops tiptoeing: "Alright, you got me." He pats his hand over Matt's shoulder. "How you doin'? Little late to this thing aren't ya?"

The two shake hands.

Matt: "I had a lot of paperwork for my latest case. How are you?"

Tony: "Good, yeah, good. Listen er, we got a game coming up, football, you gonna be able to play?"

Matt: "If we're allowed to use our abilities, yes. But without them I doubt I'll be much use to anyone. Why, are you a team captain?"

Tony: "No, but I probably should be. I'm just going around seeing who's definitely playing." Tony starts walking away. "But you know what, you get settled in. Have some lunch, most of the guys will be in the canteen. Then I'll see you at the game." Tony begins walking off faster.

Matt: "Hey Tony? What's this patch you've laid on me?"

Tony: "Don't know what you're talkin' about Murdock. You must be seeing things." Tony's out of the picture.

Matt smirks: "Nice and blunt as usual."

/

In the next massage room we see Daisy, Jubilee and Mary-Jane. All on their tummies getting massages. We hear sobbing.

Jubilee: "MJ, is that you?"

Daisy pops her head up: "Mary-Jane?"

MJ waves off the masseuse and cries as she sits up, lifting her towel back around her. "Sorry, I'm sorry."

Jubilee grasps her towel as she sits up too, but Quake simply turns on her side and we can see her bare breasts and tummy. Her masseuse continues massaging her as she reaches for her handbag and pulls out a cigarette and lighter.

MJ: "I'm sorry you guys."

Jubilee: "No, it's ok."

Daisy: "Yeah. I mean of course. You still have Pete on your mind right?"

MJ nods as she cries. She sees Daisy casually laying on her side, bare, and averts her eyes.

Jubilee: "Men are just a stupid breed. I mean look at you, he has got everything a guy could want in you."

MJ: "But what is it? What did I do wrong?"

Daisy: "Nothing. I promise, nothing at all. How many times have we blamed ourselves for whatever is going through a man's head? Come on MJ, you can't keep punishing yourself. You don't even know what his problem is."

MJ: "And he won't tell me. It's not only that he doesn't look at me the same way or touch me the same way, we don't even talk anymore. I mean is that normal? Just because we're married, is it supposed to go downhill?"

Daisy: "Don't ask me. My track record with men comes with an expiry date. I always know that going in, but I still do it anyway. And so do they."

Jubilee: "Well duh, if a man can get his hands on those pups then of course he'll have his way with you."

MJ: "And you don't mind that Daisy? You're happy in your life?"

Daisy takes a puff of her cigarette. "Define happy? You got your life MJ and you're not happy. But for me, maybe I wouldn't be happy with the idea of your life in the first place."

MJ: "What do you mean?"

Jubilee: "Hey you're supposed to be gettin' her to feel better here."

MJ: "No please. Be honest."

Daisy waves away the masseuse. "You can go now. And you can stop staring!" The masseuse walks toward the door. As he gets there we see the two other masseuses standing there staring at Daisy. There's a pause in the room as Daisy looks at the three men. They're muscly, hunky and well groomed. Obviously they're staring at Daisy's bare body. "Room thirty seven." All three masseuses comically exit. Daisy looks over to MJ: "I personally wouldn't be happy in your life 'cause I know it's not what I would want. I would get bored. I know you have a job and your partner's a web-slinging superhero, but I guess it would be too bland for me."

MJ: "Ok…"

Daisy: "Take Storm for example."

Jubilee: "Sue or Ororo?"

Daisy: "Well, Ororo in this example. She's gettin' married tomorrow. It's a big deal and she's gonna become a Queen. A legit official Queen. I mean she's already an accomplished woman, she's beautiful, she's an X-Man. But she's going to be a Queen. That comes with constraints, that comes with responsibilities. And don't get me wrong, I'm happy for her, but I wouldn't want her life. I wouldn't care for it."

Jubilee: "Not even to become a Queen? Come on really? I know I'm a little jealous. Wouldn't you wanna be Queen MJ?"

MJ: "Well sure, but I don't think would want to marry T'challa. I find him really intimidating."

Daisy: "But you see my point. Another woman's life may not be the one that's right for you. So you have to ask yourself; is the life you have chosen right for you?"

MJ pauses for a moment. "I thought it was. Peter and I, we've known each other for so long. I was his dream girl."

Daisy: "Was he your dream guy?"

There's a pause.

MJ: "I never really thought about it."

Jubilee: "Then maybe you should. Daisy's right. MJ there's nothing wrong with you. And we know Pete, he's a great guy, really he's nice, a really nice guy. But is he your dream guy?"

MJ: "I don't know. I do know I love him. I wouldn't want to lose him, I do love the life we have built."

Daisy: "'cept he's in a place where he's avoiding your relationship right now. You gotta call him out on it. Get him to tell you what's going on. It's not fair for you to burst into tears in the meantime."

/

Beast and Steve Rogers are playing chess in an artificial communal area outside on the grounds of the Black Panther Complex.

Steve: "I don't know what to tell ya. Magneto has always had in fingers in a lot of pies, but getting access to a rocket launcher? That's heavy artillery and we might be in trouble if they show up with that tomorrow."

Beast: "Gambit is convinced that Quicksilver didn't want to hurt anybody. And the launcher that Magneto used was to break Juggernaut out of prison."

Steve: "Exactly. You don't think he'd do the same thing here? Blow the pyramid to heck and get down to Nur's tomb?"

Beast: "It's possible, but not if we're in the way. Erik doesn't have his powers remember, so I believe he will show compassion. A human quality that remains."

Steve: "You hope."

Matt Murdock walks over: "Who knew Egypt was so hot huh?"

Steve and Beast stand up to greet him. Matt shakes Beast's hand first. We see the tag be passed over, but Beast acts nonchalant about it.

Beast: "Great to see you Matt. How's Foggy?"

Matt: "Foggy's great. He's er, expecting."

Beast: "Oh that's nice."

Matt: "Yeah, he and er, Psylocke."

Steve, shaking Matt's hand: "What? Betsy?"

Matt: "Yeah I know."

Beast: "Do they know about the proposed serum from Moira MacTaggart?"

Matt: "I don't know."

Beast: "Interesting."

Steve: "Man, that's so bizarre. But great, I mean if Foggy's managed to ground Betsy that can only be good for both of them."

Matt: "Yeah definitely." Matt starts to walk backward.

Steve: "Where are you going?"

Matt keeps backing off and picks up pace.

Beast hops away and states: "Tag! You're it Captain America!" Then Beast flees the scene.

Steve watches as Daredevil and Beast run off. He yells after them: "You're running from Captain America! The blind lawyer and the world's smartest blue fuzzball! This day will go down in history!" Steve peels the patch off his shoulder and looks at it in his hand. "Damn it."

/

In the third massage room we see Ororo, Natasha and Susan putting their robes back on after having finished their massages.

Natsaha: "Is T'challa gonna be happy about another man touching you like that?"

Ororo: "Please Nat', my King's paws are the only ones for me."

Susan: "Hey I still can't believe you've never had a thing with Clint. It just doesn't make sense."

Natasha: "Two people can work together, save each other's lives and _only_ be friends."

Ororo: "It's true. It's the same with the X-Men. A number of us were together as a group for years. There was the Logan, Jean and Scott triangle. Gambit and Rogue were always on again off again. Kitty and Colossus. I think I'm losing my point."

Susan: "Exactly, see! How did you not have a thing for him?"

Natasha: "I guess I was never attracted to him. And there wasn't ever any mutual flirting like there was with me and Cap' or Tony and I."

Ororo: "Oh? Something more you want to share?"

Nat' smiles as the three of them exit the room. They step into the hall where we see MJ, Jubilee and Daisy exit their room and further down the hall Shuri, Kitty and Sooraya exit theirs. The girls all mingle as they head toward the changing area and showers.

Susan: "Time for cocktails girls?"

Shuri: "Yes. And a fantastic cheese selection for lunch. Okoye assured me it would be the best."

MJ: "Shuri where's your mom? And didn't Okoye want to join us while we bond?"

Shuri: "My mother is with many other guests and elders. There are a lot of people here for this wedding. Political figures included. She is keeping up more traditional appearances while we have some fun. As for Okoye, this is definitely not for her. Her purpose is to serve so that's what she does. She doesn't like mixing friendship with her duties."

The girls keep walking.

Daisy: "Hey I'll catch up. I just wanna go to my room real quick."

The girls nod and carry on as Daisy turns off.

Kitty: "Three men and a Daisy."

Ororo: "Excuse me?"

Kitty: "Nothing."


	12. Episode 12

EPISODE 12:

We see shower cubicles and watch as one or two of the girls exit their showers. MJ and Sooraya walk out fully clothed. Natasha walks out with a towel around her. It seems the majority of the rest of the girls are out already. The door to the changing area opens and Colossus steps through.

He averts his eyes: "Oh, apologies."

Natasha smiles and slips on her pants.

Jubilee: "Aw come on Piotr. They don't knock where you come from?"

Colossus steps back outside as Jubilee finishes getting dressed. She steps out of the changing area and Colossus steps back in as Natasha looks to leave too.

Colossus: "Is er, Kitty in there?"

Nat': "Still showering. Don't get any ideas big guy." She pats Piotr on the shoulder and exits.

Piotr then goes in to sit on a bench. He sees Kitty's bag and notices a feathery worm on the zipper. He smiles. We hear the final shower turning off. Kitty exits her cubicle and walks down toward the changing area, but she slows down and stops beside the final cubicle.

Kitty: "I don't have anything to say to you Pete."

Colossus stands: "Would you prefer I wait outside while you change?"

Kitty steps out from beside the cubicle: "I'm already changed."

Colossus smiles: "I finally get to see you."

Kitty: "Yeah well, are you done now?"

Colossus: "Please Kitty, we don't have to fight. I am happy you are looking so well. You are a teacher correct? In London?"

Kitty: "Stop Colossus, please. We're not friends ok? You can't come in here starting a conversation with me as if nothing ever happened."

Colossus: "I can see you're still hurt."

Kitty: "I'm not hurt Pete. I'm fine. Made a life for myself, a normal one and I'm absolutely fine. If you're not, well that's your problem and the consequence that you live with."

Colossus: "Wow. So blunt."

Kitty: "Yeah well. Can you just go? It's nice you're here for the wedding and what might be a huge fight, but like I said I'm not your friend ok?"

Piotr walks off, nodding slowly: "I understand. Be well Kitty. You are still as beautiful as ever." Piotr exits the changing area.

The door closes slowly behind him. Kitty looks as if she's going to say something, but she stops herself. She puts her hands to her face and wipes a tear from each eye.

/

Elsewhere we see Shuri and Sooraya lining up to get food. Okoyo is monitoring the servants.

Sooraya: "Are the lamb spicy?"

Okoyo: "No. There are many condiments on the tables. You can help yourself to those."

Sooraya: "Shuri didn't you say this was going to be a light lunch? Cheeses?"

Shuri is on the phone.

Okoyo: "We changed the order because the men are having cheeses now. Their large meal will be tonight after their day of games. For us it's best to get bloated now, then ease up in the evening. That way in the morning we are finely able to fit in our dresses."

We go to Shuri as Okoyo and Sooraya keep talking.

Shuri, on the phone: "No problem. And Tyrone?... ok sure. Well tell him the guys have games going on. He can join if he gets here quick enough… ok… ok Tandy, take care." She hangs up.

Okoyo: "More guests?"

Shuri: "Cloak and Dagger. They were due a couple of days ago, but they had some trouble in New Orleans. Those two always seem to get themselves stuck in such domestic matters."

Ororo lines up behind them and enters the conversation: "Someone's got to look out for the little guy, no?"

Shuri: "Of course my Queen. But after the adventures I have seen my brother go on, I always think of heroes saving the whole world, not only the small towns."

Sooraya: "The world's a big place sister. I think the televised events give people perspective, but they're also distractions from what's happening down on the streets. A lot of people take advantage of those less fortunate."

Ororo: "Spoken like a true X-Man Sooraya. Yes, that's exactly it. And that's what the X-Men fought for. The biggest issues were often other mutants, just like tomorrow. But poverty to vandalism, to burglaries to murders, the X-Men tried to help in every way we could."

Shuri: "Cloak and Dagger were a part of the X-Men correct? But things changed after Decimation Day?"

Ororo: "They were and they are still welcome I'm sure. But Tandy and Emma barely got along and I think Tyrone felt like an outsider because he and Tandy were not natural mutants. Both of them always wanted to protect their home, New Orleans. Which is more than could be said for our very own Gambit."

Shuri: "He left New Orleans?"

Sooraya: "As soon as he could, so I understand. He was involved with gangs while he was there and it was better for his life that he fled. He was also in a relationship that went very sour."

Shuri: "But he's never gone back? Yet he's an X-Man so he bought in to helping everyone. But Cloak and Dagger are not mutants, so they felt unwelcome and now they're back in New Orleans trying to help the city. This hero life is so complicated."

/

Tyrone approaches Tandy: "Everything alright?"

Tandy: "Yeah, fine. Shuri said the guys are playin' games. You can go if you want."

Ty': "No. I can't leave you with these goons. Can't trust'm. Did you manage to touch Doctor Doom?"

Tandy: "No. But I think he's actively trying to stay away from me. Obviously that means that he's hiding something."

Ty': "But he doesn't know that we're the good guys?"

Tandy: "I don't know. But whatever he has in mind he's definitely keeping it from Magneto. The obvious answer is that he wants the Fantastic Four."

Ty': "They'll be at the wedding?"

Tandy: "For sure. Reed Richards is Black Panther's best friend."

Ty': "I hope we don't get into too much of a fight over this. The X-Men may never forgive us."

Tandy: "Having Wanda back is not a bad thing."

Ty': "But waking En Sabr Nur?"

Tandy: "Yeah, ok, bad thing. But we know what we saw. Without the mutant population restored the world will be doomed. It's something that has to happen or else the entire population of the world will be under threat. Eventually we'll explain that to the X-Men, but this is the only way for us to have done this. No way would they have let us wake Nur even with the world at stake."

Ty': "I worry. I don't trust that Nur will negotiate at all. We've read the legends. The guy has the reputation of a tyrant."

Tandy: "And so does Magneto. That's why we're on his side for this. If anyone can reason with Nur, it's Erik. The guy's got a talent for it that isn't even a mutant power. Magneto can convince anyone of anything."

Ty': "'cept the Professor."

Tandy: "Well yeah, but the Professor read Erik's mind early on. He knew he was damaged and that he always had world conquering mutant-domination intentions."

/

The majority of the heroes are in the canteen of the Black Panther Complex. They're seated at various tables, having lunch.

Reed: "So who got the patch? Is anyone gonna own up or will I have to use the DNA tracker?"

Steve: "I did. I'm the Usher at your wedding T'challa."

T'challa: "Oh Steve, you seem disappointed."

Steve: "Not at all. But some of the guys in here were totally out of reach. I don't think it was a very fair game of Tag, but whatever."

Johnny: "Hey who knew you could jump that high man?"

Steve: "I assumed we were playing Tag as mortals."

Johnny: "Yeah, then you chased me so fast and so high I had to light up. I ain't ushering no wedding. No offence Panth'."

T'challa: "None taken."

We hear various other conversation murmurs, but then there is a rumble of the ground. The building and floors beneath are shaking. All of a sudden it stops.

Thing: "What the fuck was that?"

Colossus: "Language, please."

The heroes stand up and go toward the windows. They look outside, but all is well and unrattled.

Ororo: "Are the security shields up?"

Bruce: "They are, but there's nothing on my radar." Bruce is looking at his watch.

Beast: "Odd."

Then there's another rumble, a shorter one this time.

Gambit: "I ain't a Geo-scientist, but earthquakes don't tend to happen in Egypt right?"

Kitty: "Quake. It's not an earthquake. It's Quake."

Everyone turns to go back to their tables.

Okoyo: "Kitty, you are sure? We best go check where she is. Guards!"

Kitty: "No no, don't send the Guards. Daisy's in her room. Those tremors happen when she's experiencing certain things."

Johnny: "Things? Like what?"

Natasha smirks: "I think I have an idea."

Colossus looks at Kitty.

Ororo: "Alright, if Kitty's sure that's good enough for me. Lets get back to our food."

MJ looks at Peter across the dining hall. Peter avoids eye contact.

/

Erik hangs up his phone. He addresses the room: "Everything is set. Our weapons are being collected by Quicksilver and Sabretooth as we speak."

Tandy: "Remind us why we need those?"

Ty': "Weapons were not part of the deal. We're not going there to hurt anybody."

Dr. Doom: "The weapons are a means of protection boy."

Raven: "Yeah, what d'you think's gonna happen? I'm gonna go there to blast Rogue and Nightcrawler in their faces?"

Ty': "So why then?"

Erik: "They're for Nur. If he wakes and doesn't cooperate, we need to make sure we can conquer him or at the very least bury him underneath that pyramid."

Tandy: "So we won't be walking into the wedding with weapons on us, right?"

Dr. Doom: "That's right. Erik will remain on the outskirts manning the weapons himself. Only if they're needed against Nur will they come into play. Everyone knows the legend of En Sabah Nur. If his mind is solely focussed on wiping out the world, our rocket launcher will say otherwise."

/

Cyclops is stood by a goal post. He looks deep in thought. Logan walks over.

"Hey. You joinin' or what?"

Scott: "I'm concerned. I want the X-Men to gather tonight for one final briefing. We all have to know our roles tomorrow. I know we have the help of everyone here, but I can't ask nor rely on them to be a team."

Logan: "I hear ya. Plus if you did get everyone together there'd surely be a bunch of clashes. Stark would wanna take charge, Cap' would have some ideas and then of course the Shmantastic Dorks would say they're the most capable team and that they should therefore lead the fight."

Scott: "Exactly. The chips will fall where there may, but I want for the X-Men to have our clear purpose. And we do it as a team."

Logan: "Rare that I agree with ya."

Scott: "Must be the Egyptian sun."

Logan: "It was probably some of that crappy cheese I ate."

Johnny Storm lights up and flies over Scott and Logan: "Hey old guys, you comin' to play or not?"

Scott and Logan walk toward the centre of the field where all the other male heroes are waiting. T'challa is in stripes.

Warren: "I can't believe the King's a referee."

Reed: "Hey it made sense. That way the numbers in the teams are even and T'challa has no way of losing. I'm sure losing before your wedding day can't be good omens for the marriage going forward."

T'challa chooses the two team captains; Kurt Wagner and Luke Cage. Both take turns to choose their teams.

Tony: "I don't believe this, how am I not a Captain? Captain America and Captain Stark, that's what it should be right?"

Bruce: "Tony please, it's a game. I kinda like how T'challa's chosen."

Kurt: "Yes and besides, my name is Kurt Wagner, but in the Munich circus I was known as the incredible Nightcrawler. I was perhaps born to be a captain."

Luke Cage shakes Kurt's hand.

The men are gathered as Kurt stands on one side of the half-way line and Luke stands on the other. Kurt goes first. He chooses Wolverine. The rest of the guys clap.

Cage: "Colossus."

Kurt: "I choose Reed Richards."

Cage: "Spider-Man."

Kurt: "Hulk if you please."

Reed welcomes Bruce and excitedly talks to Kurt: "Kurt we have a Hulk! I got to say it again. This is working out alright."

Cage: "Give me Beast."

Kurt: "Oh, that was going to be my next pick. Sorry my blue friend."

Beast: "Not at all. It's a friendly game of football Kurt, we're all on the same team afterward."

Kurt: "Ok, so I now choose… The Thing."

Luke Cage confers with Spider-Man: "We'll take Johnny."

Kurt talks to Reed and Bruce, then decides: "Angel, bitte."

The teams are almost set as we're down to the final four selections.

Tony: "Cyclops, Daredevil, Cap' and Me? What are you guys trying to insult us?"

Luke: "Nothing of the sort. But you guys might not be up to gamesmanship like the rest of us are."

Tony: "You callin' me old?"

Luke: "Not old. Lets just say you're not that agile."

Tony: "But Kurt, you chose Logan, he's older than all of us isn't he? 'cept you Cap'. Wait, which of you is older?"

Steve: "Tony relax, it's just a game."

Kurt continues: "My next pick is Daredevil."

Stark can't believe it.

Cage: "Cap'."

Kurt: "Cyclops."

Cage: "And now Tony, I choose you."

Tony: "Bull crap. Utter nonsense."

The rest of the guys laugh as everyone gets set to get the game underway.

/

We split screen to see that the women are having manicures and pedicures and enjoying their bonding experience.

/

We split back to the game and watch as the captains make play calls and things get rough between some of the larger competitors. Mr. Fantastic scores the first touchdown due to stretching his arm for a distance of thirty yards, despite Colossus holding him back.

/

The girls are laughing and we watch as T'challa's mother and some other women come onto the scene. They are all gathered dressing Ororo up for some Wakanda'n pre-wedding rituals.

/

Luke Cage has the ball at quarterback and he launches it up field toward Spider-Man, but he's hit as he does so. The ball is off target, but Spider-Man shoots a web and pulls the ball into his chest – but he's quickly tripped to the ground by Daredevil. Spider-Man fumbles the ball and Iron Man picks it up. He boosts his speed and flies toward the endzone, but Hulk stops him, tackling him to the ground. The play stops and Captain America helps Iron Man to his feet.

Reed calls over: "Hey Tony… we have a Hulk." Reed smiles broadly.

Stark shakes his head.

/

Split screen to seeing the women dancing and enjoying themselves.

/

Split back to the guys roughing each other up in their game.

T'challa blows his whistle declaring: "Nightcrawler 13, Cage 17. Half Time!"

/

Music plays over this scene where it looks like T'challa's mother Ramonda is giving Ororo a pep-talk. The other girls are merry and are enjoying their time letting loose. They are all wearing traditional Wakanda'n attire and even the stiff Natasha and Daisy get involved in the dancing.

/

We split screen to see three yard gains, two yard gains. There's banter between the male heroes as they continue to play American Football. The score continues to go back and forth. Nightcrawler's team in the lead, then Cage's. It stands at 32-30 in favour of Cage.

/

Back with the dancing and merriment.

Kitty: "You know everybody knows the tremors were you right?"

Daisy: "What? Everybody?"

Natasha: "Pretty much."

Daisy: "Fuck."

Kitty: "I had never noticed that before, but obviously we've never been in the same vicinity where you're having sex."

Natasha: "Is it as explosive as the tremors themselves?"

Daisy: "What do you mean?"

Natasha: "Are your orgasms that pleasurable that they cause your powers to slightly malfunction?"

Daisy: "To be honest there usually is a little rumble. Today was intense, but was the place shaking that badly?"

Kitty: "Yup. We had to tell the scared elders that we were testing the security system and that's what caused some defensive malfunctions. Some of the guys certainly got curious though."

Daisy: "Tell me you didn't go into details?"

Kitty: "Who me? No not me."

Natasha: "Not me."

Kitty and Natasha giggle and laugh.

Daisy: "It's not funny you guys. I can't help it when it happens. And wait, who was askin' questions?"

/

We're past the two-minute warning and Captain America has the ball at quarterback. Luke Cage is in shotgun. Cage takes the ball. Gambit and Spider-Man run routes while Beast and Colossus do the blocking. Cage throws the ball to Human Torch who catches it in the air right over Cyclops. Human Torch flies fully flamed toward the endzone for a touchdown.

Johnny: "Woooooo! That's it! 40-37, we win!"

T'challa: "There's still some time."

Cyclops: "That wasn't fair. I can't tackle you when you're fully lit up like that."

Johnny: "Then don't leave me so open eagle eye."

The game continues. We watch as Wolverine rushes for an eighteen yard gain. Then there's an effort by Angel and team Nightcrawler are now within kicking distance. They go for an extra few yards, but the clock's ticking with under ten seconds remaining. Cyclops calls for a timeout and the teams huddle up for the final time. Johnny lights himself up and flies between the goal posts.

Nightcrawler in the huddle: "Johnny's gone to the posts so Angel and Mr. Fantastic, it's up to you to make sure he doesn't block the kick."

Wolverine: "We're not gonna try and win this thing?"

Nightcrawler: "I don't think that's best. Rather not risk losing."

Wolverine: "German mentality. Wish we had Cap' on our side. America would go for the win."

Hulk: "Hulk see draw, not win."

Mr. Fantastic: "I agree. They've learned what Angel and I can contribute and they're pretty good on defence."

Thing: "But if it's a tie the game goes to overtime right? Fuck that."

Wolverine: "Yeah fuck that."

Hulk: "Fuck that."

Nightcrawler: "So? What do we do?"

Cyclops: "I have an idea."

The teams line up and we watch as team Nightcrawler fake a field goal. They lay the ball off to Nightcrawler who disappears and stands by Wolverine. Nightcrawler disappears and Wolverine is hit, but the ball is loose and Nightcrawler reappears to pick it up again. He does this a few times before he's eventually hit, but he doesn't have the ball. Everyone looks around. Wolverine doesn't have it, nor Cyclops, nor Hulk.

Then Gambit points toward the endzone: "Murdock!"

Mr. Fantastic: "Forward Matt! Two yards!"

Daredevil takes a flip and a leap into the endzone way before the chasing pack can get to him and finally it's game over. Cyclops' plan had worked. Team Nightcrawler win 43-40, with no time remaining for the extra point. They all celebrate and congratulate one another. Meanwhile Team Cage aren't so happy, but we see Luke and Colossus embrace. They shake hands with Beast and Gambit.

Captain America shakes his head: "Shame."

Iron Man: "Shouldn't you have taken the lead on this one? Their natural leader obviously made that play call and you couldn't do the same for us."

Captain America: "Oh Tony please, give it a rest."


	13. Episode 13

EPISODE 13:

We focus on a bug climbing through the cracks of a building. We zoom in and follow it as it works it's way into Citibank. It looks like a wasp.

We cut to a woman walking into the main entrance of the bank.

We go back to see that the bug that worked it's way into the building is none other than The Wasp. She makes her way to the bank manager's office. No one is there, but she remains in her shrunken state. She accesses client information on the computer and we cut to Mystique who receives information on her cell phone. She then turns into the person with one of the highest balances in the bank. She approaches the cashier's desk and asks to make a withdrawal. She tells the cashier that she lost her bank card, but that she can sign in to her account by her fingerprint. The cashier says that's fine, but she will need to give her password seven and password three of the ten set up on her account. Mystique waits as The Wasp finds this information in the bank manager's database. She tells the cashier the passwords and things continue smoothly with the cash withdrawal.

/

Victor Von Doom joins Erik Lehnsherr in the bar at their Cairo hotel.

Doom: "You seem troubled."

Erik: "Victor. Well, no more troubled than usual."

Doom: "How are you finding things here?"

Erik: "Good. It's much nicer than sleeping out in the desert. We're all appreciative of the hospitality you have afforded for us."

Doom: "A sound investment in your services I'm sure."

Erik: "Well, sounds like we're working for you now."

Doom: "Not at all. You have your mission, I have mine. Do you think yours will be a success?"

Erik: "I haven't felt as useless in my life as I do as a human. But, since being in this state I have learned more about human nature, more about compassion and more about myself. I'm hoping that my honesty can help bring my Wanda back to me."

Doom: "She's a special girl. Though I am curious as to why you cherish her so? And yet you often seem hard on Pietro."

Erik: "My son and I have a rocky history, mostly because of me. But I have maintained my toughness with him because I want him to be better, I want him to conquer like he has the potential to. But he's unreliable. He's frivolous and he doesn't have a one track mind, the kind of focus you need to be a master of your powers."

Doom: "You believe Wanda is a master? So you respect her more?"

Erik: "Well, Decimation Day speaks for itself. But a father's relationship with his daughter is different to that of a father and son. I think I just want Wanda to know that I love her."

Doom: "Are you proud of her?"

/

Back at the bank; we see a woman transform from one person to the next. She's carrying a holdall and eventually she gets into a car. The car all of a sudden shrinks and begins driving off.

Mystique: "That was easy."

Wasp: "You get what we came for?"

Mystique: "Yup. Cold hard cash to make sure we can buy our way out of here when we need to. Hey isn't it easier driving as regular size?"

Wasp: "It is if you're not in a hurry. But I'm guessing we best get this money hidden as fast as we can. I'm sure the suspicious minds of the Brotherhood would wonder what we're carrying, let alone what you're doing with me."

Mystique: "Well I'm glad you came. I'm surrounded by morons so I appreciate another woman by my side. How have you been, since…?"

Wasp: "Confused. Sad. All the shit feelings you get when your loved ones are taken from you. I didn't have a plan, nor did I know what to do with myself. But if Wanda has that ability like you said, to wipe the mutant powers, then maybe she'll be able to bring back my family."

Mystique and Wasp continue their drive.

/

Elsewhere, in the city of Cairo, we join the potential wedding crashers, wannabe wakers of En Sabah Nur, in the hotel rooms paid for by Dr. Doom. We see Nick Petrakis sat having beers with Victor Creed, Fred Dukes, Mortimer Toynbee and Pietro Maximoff.

Nick (Avalanche): "What's it matter anyhow? As long as we wake Nur the job's done right?"

Pietro (Quicksilver): "It's half done. After we wake him we gotta convince him to find Wanda and bring her back in one piece."

Fred (Blob): "You and your dad trust Doom in all this?"

Pietro: "I don't know. I think they see each other as business associates more than colleagues or friends. But they're on the same page, so that's good enough for me."

Victor (Sabretooth): "Well what will be good for me would be to have another shot at that twerp Wolverine."

Mortimer (Toad): "Your one thousandth shot?"

Victor: "What did you say?" Victor looks like he's about to get up and go for Toad.

Quicksilver: "Hey hey, come on, we don't need to rile each other up here. Save the anger for tomorrow Victor."

/

We see the canteen at the Black Panther Complex gradually fill up with guests as they prepare for their final meals of the day. Spirits are good and everyone seems content. We see T'challa's mother Ramonda with a big smile on her face as she talks and laughs with various other Wakanda'n relatives. Shuri is having a nice time talking to Kitty at a table with Mary Jane, Warren Worthington and Scott Summers.

Peter Parker walks over to MJ.

MJ: "Hey Pete."

Peter: "MJ. D'you think we could talk?"

MJ gets up and moves away from her table. The other girls there look at Peter, but he seems sullen and downcast.

At another table we see Luke Cage and Nightcrawler sitting and talking; the Captains from the day's games.

Kurt: "I was surprised not to see Tyrone turn up and join your team."

Cage: "Nah in a way I'm glad he didn't. It woulda made the teams uneven and then you'da had Black Panther on your side."

They eat in between bites.

Kurt: "You remained close with Tyrone, after D-Day?"

Cage: "Not as close as we were. When he came to me initially I took him under my wing. Gave him a roof and food when New Orleans had finally ground him down."

Kurt: "But Tandy wasn't with him then?"

Cage: "Not when he joined me, no. Why?"

Kurt: "I worry about them since everything that happened. Xavier's mansion is like a homing beacon. We all go there to reunite and be strong. I don't think Cloak and Dagger ever felt that they were a true part of the X-Men, so when they left I never felt they would go back. I was right I guess."

Cage: "Well you can't blame'm there. They never felt that they were different internally. They always knew that their lives flipped upside down because of the accident on the rig."

Kurt: "The accident on the rig?"

Cage: "Alright, the bullshit on the rig that Tandy's dad was responsible for. My point is, they're not mutants. They had something happen to them and it coulda been a bad thing, but it's helped them in life. At least I think so."

Kurt: "It was sad when they left."

Cage: "You left too though right? Didn't Tandy go with you?"

Kurt: "Ja. This wedding is the first time I have seen the X-Men since. Tandy came with me on my flight out of the US. When we reached Europe I helped her get to where she wanted to be. From there I don't know. We didn't keep in touch."

Cage: "So how come you're here chattin' to me and not sat with the X-Men? You guys have domestic issues?"

Kurt: "No. I look around this room and you'll notice none of us are sat together. I think it's just nice to be present with each other. Even if some of us don't talk. We appreciate one another more when we return after being a part."

Cage: "Mark of a strong family."

Kurt: "Ja."

Cage: "You know I've lost a lot of friends because of what I do in Harlem. I've sacrificed relationships, and people I thought were my friends, never truly had my back. You X-Men are a noble breed. That's why I'm confident you'll take it like a man when my team whups you at basketball tonight."

Kurt laughs: "Oh, basketball, a synch compared to the vast tricks I composed back in the Munich Circus. I think your overconfidence will be your downfall mein freund."

Cage sits after having a bite of his food with a big grin: "Oh we'll see Nightcrawler, we'll see."

/

Mystique and The Wasp walk into the hotel paid for by Dr. Doom. They see Doom and Erik by the bar, but avoid them and head to the elevator. Mystique carrying the holdall. They get to their floor and walk to their room. Tandy is in there waiting.

Mystique: "Can I help you?"

Tandy: "No. But I'm wondering what you're doing here Wasp?"

Wasp: "Could ask you the same question."

Mystique dumps the holdall by her bed and kicks it under. "She's here to help us. Where we have problems getting sunlight to Nur, maybe Janet can open whatever cracks needed in order to get the light through."

Wasp: "And you? Weren't you working with the X-Men last I heard?"

Tyrone appears out of a black smoke cloud.

Ty': "Tandy?" He looks around. "You alright?"

Tandy: "Fine. Just wondering what Mystique and Wasp are really playing at here."

Ty': "Janet. We heard about Scott."

Wasp: "Please. It's fine."

Ty': "And your dad…"

Wasp: "He's gone too."

Tandy: "We're really sorry."

Wasp: "Me too."

Mystique: "Did you two want a coffee or tea time snack? Can you fuck off out of our room now?"

Ty': "Well no. I saw you both come in. You avoided Erik and Victor, then you came in here and hurriedly hid that bag. What's in it?"

Mystique: "What's in it is none of your business shadow boy."

Tandy: "It's money. They're gonna use it to get out of here if things turn bad tomorrow."

Ty': "I see. And you two are the only ones that will want a way out? What about Erik? And Quicksilver, I know you've been working with him a lot Mystique."

Mystique: "Working with. Don't mean I give a damn."

Ty': "I see."

Tandy: "And you? Why are you here?"

Wasp: "Does there need to be a reason?"

Tandy: "Frankly, yeah, there does. This is a freak show, this right here, you shoulder to shoulder and side by side with Mystique. Mystique is a criminal, wanted for multiple murders and many other crimes that the authorities don't know about I'm sure. To see you working with her is not a normal thing. So yeah, I'd appreciate an explanation."

Wasp goes to sit down.

Mystique: "I'm going to take a shower."

Cloak sits on the bed. Dagger remains standing and paces at times.

Wasp: "Scott and er, my dad, they died at the hands of mutants. They were human at the time, but they used to be mutants. When they saw what Scott was doing as Ant Man, and then realised my dad was as old and fragile as he was, they kidnapped my dad. Scott went to save him, but then there was an exchange to be made; Ant Man's life for my dad's. It turned out that it was a rouse and they killed both Scott and my dad anyway."

Tandy: "Oh my God."

Wasp: "Thing is they were human at the time. This all happened after Decimation Day. But they used to be mutants. When they lost their powers, they obviously became bitter and mad at the fact that there were a select few remaining with powers out there."

Ty': "But they didn't know Ant Man wasn't a mutant?"

Wasp: "I don't know. Maybe it was pre-planned before they lost their powers. Maybe it was an off the cuff reaction to losing their powers. I wasn't there. I don't know. Maybe they were trying to get my dad to restore their lost mutant abilities. Whatever it was, it led to me losing the two most important men in my life."

Tyrone and Tandy make eye contact. Tandy chooses not to go over to Janet.

Janet continues: "I'm here because I want to know if Wanda can specifically identify who killed my husband and father. I want to know, if she reverses D-Day and allows mutants their powers back, I wanna know who it was that murdered my family. I'm not here for the X-Men or for Erik or Doom or even Mystique. I want closure. I'm hoping Wanda can give that to me."

Ty': "I can't imagine what you're going through. Those former mutants, you have no idea who they are?"

Janet: "I wasn't there."

Ty': "But what could they have been thinking? Why do that to your dad only to kill both him and Scott anyway?"

Tandy: "Answers that Janet obviously doesn't know Ty'. That's the problem with the world isn't it? Fear? When any species, mutant or human, or inhuman or whatever bullshit anomaly we are; when there's fear involved the only thing that comes to mind is to obliviate the opposition."

Ty': "Tandy."

Tandy: "Sorry. Poor choice of words. You're not angry at Wanda? For causing D-Day in the first place?"

Wasp: "What makes you think that? As I said, there's no way to know what the reasons were that the thugs killed my family. I just want to find them so that I can find out what really happened and so that I can maybe sleep at night."

Tandy looks at Ty'. Neither seem convinced by Janet's answers.

/

We pan over the canteen back at the Black Panther Complex. Everyone seems to be having a good time. We see some guards eyeball Daisy across the room. She looks back and smiles, but then continues talking and eating with the friends around her.

Beast: "I have always been interested to know whether there are more Inhumans in the world."

Daisy: "I'm sure there are Beast. But they keep to themselves more than mutants do."

Matt Murdock: "Do you have a vested interest in what happens here tomorrow? Would you want Nur to wake up?"

Daisy: "What do you mean?"

Matt: "Well maybe Nur wakes, maybe he's able to locate Inhumans, unite you all."

Daisy: "Well this isn't something I chose for me to have Matt. I don't want for Inhuman world domination if that's what you're getting at. Why the third degree here?"

Matt: "I apologise Quake, I'm simply curious as to why you're putting your life on the line to help the X-Men."

Johnny Storm walks over and joins them at their table: "Aren't we all doing the same thing?"

Matt: "Well, not necessarily. Some of us might be here solely to prevent the waking of Nur. Some of us might be world saving junkies. Though of course most of us should be here for the wedding of our good friends."

Beast: "Exactly right. I don't think the reasons matter too much when we all have the same goal in mind. Stop the waking of En Sabah Nur and enjoy the wedding. Cheers everyone."

Beast, Quake, Daredevil and Human Torch clink their glasses. We're focussed on Daredevil though. The heartbeats he's hearing seem at a steady pace, minus one in particular.

/

Cloak and Dagger leave Mystique's room.

Ty': "Are you buying that from Wasp?"

Tandy: "I want to believe her. But I can't shake the feeling that she has so much anger inside."

Ty': "It was a shame you couldn't touch her."

Tandy: "I wanted to, but I couldn't risk it. If she suddenly shrunk herself then she would know I didn't trust her."

Ty': "Maybe you could've just asked permission?"

Tandy: "You still don't understand women do you Ty'? Remember when we were with the X-Men? Doing battle and fighting major causes alongside Professor Xavier?"

Ty': "Vividly."

Tandy: "Right, well there we were with an honest bunch of people. Honest aside from Emma fuckin' Frost. That bitch had a stick up her ass the whole time we were there, but not once did I touch her because she would have then had free roaming access to me."

Ty': "She was maintaining the sanctity of her home. She had lost a lot and she knew the pain that Scott felt when he lost Jean. I don't think she was untruthful or scandalous in any way."

Tandy: "Maybe not. But she sure didn't like me."

Ty': "Maybe women find it tough to get along. Not for nothing, but I think you and Emma are more alike than you think."

/

We watch as the teams split in the middle of the basketball court to huddle before their final game of the day. It's the same teams as there was for the American Football contest earlier in the day. We watch as the game begins. We're shown various highlights of alley-oops, dunks and numerous illegal blocks by the defences.

/

Meanwhile, elsewhere within the Black Panther Complex we see the girls all gathered around Mary Jane. She's tearful and she looks like she's passing the girls some bad news.

/

In Cairo we see Magneto and Dr. Doom entering the large room where Avalanche, Quicksilver, Toad, Blob and Sabretooth were drinking. Cloak and Dagger enter and they're soon followed in by Mystique and The Wasp. It looks like the group are having a final meeting before their huge mission the very next day.

/

The basketball game goes back and forth and we see that Spider-Man isn't at his peak. He is responsible for some turnovers. The game is entertaining, but not as close as the football. Luke Cage's team win 88-74. The guys all shake hands and embrace afterward, with Cage and Nightcrawler seemingly being happy Captains that their teams won one game a piece.

/

The women are sat huddled on various seats and beanbags and sofas, watching a romantic movie. Bride to be Storm exits the room, as do Jubilee, Sooraya and Kitty. We follow them as they meet with Cyclops, Wolverine, Gambit – who embraces and kisses Sooraya. Of course Beast, Nightcrawler and Colossus are there too. Things are awkward between Colossus and Kitty, but they are all ears as Scott outlines their plan going into Storm's wedding day. Emma Frost is present via video communications.

Scott: "Storm I wanted you to be here because I need you to know what to expect. All we want from you tomorrow is to be a bride. Soak it up and enjoy your day."

Ororo: "Please Scott. If my family need me, I will unleash the power of the skies to ensure you are all safe."

Scott: "No Ororo, you have to understand. We're not here to ruin your wedding."

Emma: "He's right Storm. The plan is to stop Magneto and his crew as covertly as possible."

The camera zooms out as Scott continues telling everyone of the plan. "Here's what we're going to do."

We pan across the faces of the X-Men as they listen intently.

/

We split screen to show Magneto doing the very same to his gathering in Cairo. Tandy is vocal, as are Mystique and Dr. Doom.

/

As the sun fully sets we focus on the pyramid that covers the tomb of En Sabah Nur.

/

Walking the halls of the Black Panther Complex late into the night we see T'challa walking along with his mom Ramonda.

Ramonda: "You are doing a very noble thing my son."

T'challa: "It's not intended to be noble mother. All this, we're here to help make sure the world does not fall into ashes."

Ramonda: "Yes. But I know you. You would not risk the Wakanda'n people for anything other than a true bond. You have done it with friends in the past. Reluctantly I admit."

T'challa: "Well, it builds a relationship and trust mother. To help a friend is the least one can do in troubled times."

Ramonda: "Yes T'challa I know. But for Storm, you have leapt at the idea."

T'challa: "It was my idea."

Ramonda: "Exactly. And all for the love of your bride to be."

T'challa: "I feel like you are trying to say something? Do you not approve of my devotion to her?"

Ramonda: "No son, on the contrary I applaud it. All I say as your mother is that love is not something to be shown by how valiantly you put yourself on the line. Ororo is a magnificent woman. She can handle herself. This was not a favour for a Mr. Fantastic or a Captain America that you have done as a friend. This is a show and you are hoping to come out the hero, not for the sake of the world, but a hero to your new wife."

T'challa smiles, not knowing what to say.

Ramonda: "See. I know you."

T'challa: "So I'll show off a little. Is there anything wrong with that? I want her to know she can depend on me."

Ramonda: "She already knows she can, because she already does."

T'challa: "But, with the X-Men she had a family, people she could rely on and trust. I want to show her that I can be all those people she loved, all in one."

Ramonda: "T'challa, you are the Black Panther. She loves you because of who you are. She embraces our culture, our Wakanda because of her love for you. She doesn't need the X-Men any more. They are here because they need her."

T'challa: "Well, she is going to be married to me tomorrow."

Ramonda: "Yes my son. And you will live happily ever after. You and her and the people of Wakanda. Not you, her and the X-Men."

T'challa hugs his mother and they continue to walk and talk.


	14. Episode 14

EPISODE 14:

It's the morning of the big wedding. We pan around all the relevant windows of the Black Panther Complex. Most of the curtains are closed, but through some we can see silhouettes as Wakanda'ns, mutants, Avengers, an Inhuman and a few humans wake up for the grand occasion that lies ahead.

/

Within Cairo at the hotel accommodation paid for by Victor Von Doom, we see that most of Doom and Magneto's comrades are still asleep. We see Juggernaut snoring, sleeping on the floor beside a bed where Sabretooth is slept. He's snoring too.

We cut to another room where Magneto is asleep.

Then we split screen to see Quicksilver awake and on a balcony. He's looking at pictures on his phone of his sister Wanda Maximoff. On the other side of that split screen we see The Wasp. She's in bed, but also going through photos on her phone; of her dad and of Scott Lang. She has tears streaming down her face.

/

Back at the Black Panther Complex we see Sooraya wake up. She ruffles the hair of the man beside her as he continues to sleep; Remy LeBeau. Sooraya smiles and lets out a little sigh as she rolls out of bed. She goes to get washed up before her morning prayer.

Elsewhere, Cyclops' phone rings. He wakes up and we see that it's Emma Frost on the caller I.D. Scott answers the phone.

Emma: "Hey."

Scott: "G'morning."

Emma: "I can't sleep."

Scott: "Because of the wedding or because you miss me?"

Emma: "You're two-thirds right. And it's a little down to baby cramps. I keep having to go to the bathroom. Feel like I'm eighty years old and I can't control my bladder."

Scott: "Well, you certainly don't look eighty."

Emma: "Is everyone set for today? I'm worried."

Scott: "Yeah so am I. Erik is nothing if not unpredictable. But I'm confident in the team."

Emma: "That's my Cyclops talking. You're a very brave leader."

Scott: "Well I try."

Emma: "I went by Cerebro the other night."

Scott: "Oh Emma."

Emma: "No it's fine. I didn't use it. It's just that I know it could help the team if I could be present there through telepathy."

Scott: "We know it's not an option."

Emma: "Yeah I know. Not while I'm pregnant. Can you tell me what to do? I'm going a little crazy on my own over here. I can't help you or the team and fuck knows what's going to happen today."

Scott: "Tell you what to do? I usually only have that privilege when we're naked."

Emma: "Scott please, I'm serious."

Scott: "I know," he chuckles. "Well I think the best thing for you to do is put on the golf channel and bore yourself to sleep. Then, by the time you wake we would have been half way through the day here. You don't contact me for updates, nor do you call or text any of the X-Men. You rest, relax and eat whatever you're craving. Be a pregnant lady; that's what I'm telling you to do."

Emma sighs.

Scott: "I love you."

Emma: "You too."

We hear fireworks go off and Scott turns his head toward the window. He gets up out of bed and walks over to open the curtains.

Emma: "What's that? Is everything alright?"

Scott smiles: "It's Jubilee. The wedding festivities have begun."

We leave Scott and zoom down to the courtyard within the Black Panther Complex. Jubilee is lighting up the sky before the break of dawn. She's putting on a magnificent firework display as we see many of the wedding guests attend their windows and various balconies. Shuri is with Jubilee and she has a microphone in hand as she stands on what looks like a podium. Music plays as Shuri addresses everyone.

Shuri: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Egypt, welcome to the historical pyramids of Giza. And please allow me to welcome you to this momentous occasion, the wedding day of my sister-in-law to be, the amazon Ororo Monroe and my brother, T'challa, the great Black Panther of Wakanda!"

Wedding guests applaud and cheer from their open windows and balconies. Jubilee's firework display continues as Shuri encourages everyone to have a light breakfast.

She continues: "You all have the schedules for the day on your bedside tables and in your email inboxes. We expect it to be a day we will never forget so please have smiles on your faces, hair in line ladies and ties on straight gentlemen. Let the wedding begin!"

Jubilee lets off some final big firework explosions, impressive even for her powers, as the watching wedding guests whistle and cheer. Wakanda'n servants then put on a traditional dance and guests applaud from their windows and balconies as there is a display of drums to finish off the morning welcome.

/

We fade to a split screen of Erik, Raven, Nick, Fred and Mortimer all waking and getting set for their day. On the other side of the split screen we see Okoyo entering Ramonda's chambers to assist her in dressing. Ramonda has a beaming smile on her face, excited to see her son get married.

/

We fade to another split screen; this time of all Erik's comrades awake and eating together. On the other side of the split screen we see many of the women at the Black Panther Complex embrace as they greet one another in the halls before heading down to the canteen.

/

We see Logan on his balcony, having a smoke and watching as the Wakanda'n servants preserve all the wedding decorations in the courtyard.

/

We watch as Beast goes through some final checks for the day in the security control room. No sign of any villains as yet.

/

We see Sooraya greeting Remy at their bedroom door.

Sooraya: "I'll see you at the ceremony?"

Remy: "Yeah. Unless you wanna skip photos and come have a good time with me before the nuptials?"

Sooraya: "My Gambit, you had your way plenty with me last night did you not? Besides, I am trying to fit in with your friends, and make friends. Missing the photography for either of us will not go down well with Storm."

Remy takes her hands and kisses them: "Shame. I'll miss you."

Sooraya kisses him and sets to walk off, but he pulls her hand.

Sooraya: "What?"

Remy: "Nothin'. Just wanted to look at'cha."

Sooraya: "Silly man."

Remy: "What time's the men's photoshoot?"

Sooraya: "Ten. Then you mingle until the ceremony. The women's photography is at 11. I will come back here after the bridal preparation to get dressed."

Remy: "How many women will be at the bridal prep?"

Sooraya: "Not everyone. T'challa's mother, Shuri and Okoyo for sure. Then some X-Men I think."

Remy: "X-Women."

Sooraya: "Yes."

Remy: "And you're an X-Woman now?"

Sooraya: "Well I don't know about that Remy. I am still building relationships."

Remy: "You worry too much."

Sooraya: "I wouldn't want to outstay my welcome."

Remy: "Ok, now you better get going before I slap your ass. You're with me Chere, there's nothin' anyone can say or do to not have you in the X-Men. We were present at dat meetin' last night and you were very much there too. You're part of the team baby."

Sooraya smiles as she looks left down the hall and looks right over her shoulder the other way. She says: "Can I get that spank to go?"

Sooraya begins walking off as Remy then smacks her on the butt. She lets out a little squeal and looks back at him smiling as she leaves the scene. Gambit has a big smile on his face.

/

We fade to scenes of some of Storm's friends joining her for the bridal preparation. We see smiley faces of Ororo, Ramonda, Shuri, Okoyo, Jubilee, Kitty Pryde and Susan Storm. Sooraya enters and joins the gathering. We see laughter and merriment as the girls all have a hand in preparing Storm for her big day.

/

Elsewhere in Cairo we see Janet talking to Raven in their room.

Raven: "I'm so fuckin' glad we're not on good terms with those twerps. Dressing for a wedding in Egyptian heat is a nice way to give yourself a sunstroke."

Janet: "Well, you're not on good terms. I haven't really had any dealings with the X-Men or Black Panther."

Raven: "You're not missin' out on anything. They're all very kind to one another, it's nauseating."

Janet: "Yeah well. Some kindness you only get from those closest to you."

Raven makes eye contact with her: "Sorry."

Janet shakes her head. She walks over to Raven: "Here. Just in case." Janet hands Raven a miniature car in one hand and a gadget with a button to press in the other. "If we get split up or if you need to get away, click the button and the car will become real size. Obviously be careful not to let it happen while the car's in your pocket. I took the liberty of splitting the money too. So if we do get split up, I'll see you back here."

Raven: "Thanks, but if we're split up for some real bad shit then it's best we go straight to the airport. I don't wanna have to answer to anyone do you?"

Janet: "Right, you're right."

/

We watch as Remy walks out of his hotel room and sets off down the hall. He's fully dressed nice and smart in his wedding outfit. Around the corner he literally bumps into Daisy.

Daisy: "Oh hey, sorry."

Remy: "I'm sorry." He holds her by her shoulders. "In a world of your own huh?" He lets go.

Daisy fakes a smile: "Kinda, I guess. Aren't we all?"

Remy: "I dunno. This world seems pretty special to me."

Daisy: "Good for you." She begins to walk off.

Remy: "Hey?"

She turns back toward him: "Yeah?"

Remy: "You ok?"

Daisy nods: "I'm fine. You look nice. Sharpen up pretty well for such a pretty boy."

Remy: "Is that a compliment or insult?"

Daisy: "Little of both."

Remy: "You sure you're ok? There wasn't any long term damage done when you were, er…"

Daisy: "So you were the one asking questions?"

Remy: "I was a little curious I admit."

Daisy: "Well I'm fine. And for the record I did have a great time. Wakanda'n men are very strong, in the right places."

Remy: "Not in my wheelhouse to judge."

Daisy smiles as she walks off. Remy can't help but look at her ass.

/

We go to T'challa's chambers and watch as Reed Richards barks orders to the Wakanda'n servants, telling them to make sure T'challa's outfit looks perfect. T'challa is quiet. Reed pats him on the shoulder.

Reed: "Where's your head my friend?"

T'challa: "Believe it or not I am thinking about my wife."

Reed: "Not yet. Still got a few hours before that becomes official."

T'challa: "Yes."

Reed: "You sure you're alright? With what we expect today, people would understand if you wanted to postpone the wedding you know."

T'challa: "No. That's never crossed my mind."

Reed: "I'm just saying. There's no telling when Magneto and his goons will show up. I want this day to be great for you."

T'challa: "I recall your wedding wasn't a smooth occasion. But it was still memorable and a beautiful day."

Reed: "Yeah well, that was all down to Sue. She was spectacular in every way possible. I spent the entire day with my boxers on too tight and to be honest I hated the food."

T'challa: "You didn't try it beforehand?"

Reed: "I was supposed to, but got caught up with something in the lab at the time I think."

T'challa: "So you and your wife have different food tastes?"

Reed: "Different food tastes, different methodologies, different political views. We probably disagree on more than we agree actually."

T'challa: "But you remain happy?"

Reed: "Oh yeah. Life is not life without opposites. And when opposites attract, life becomes love, a love you never knew existed."

T'challa: "Poetic. You'll say such nice things when you perform your speech?"

Reed panics and checks his pockets: "Oh shit, my speech. I can't believe it. Security room, bedroom, did I have it in the canteen?"

T'challa looks concerned, but Reed straightens himself out.

Reed: "Aaah, gotcha! Haha, of course I have my speech, it's right here." He pulls out his notepad from within his suit jacket.

T'challa: "Very funny."

Reed chuckles.

/

We go to Cyclops at the men's photography gathering. He talks as the camera pans around him and we see a device in his ear.

Scott: "Hank, everything look ok out there?... Hank?"

We see Beast walk behind Scott.

Hank: "I'm right here Scott. All is fine. I will be alerted on my watch if there's any cause for concern."

Scott: "And if anything scrambles the signal to the watch?"

Hank: "Warren and Tony have backup mechanisms. There's a Wakanda'n guard manning the control room too. Fitz is overlooking from wherever he is in the world. We should be fine."

Scott: "Good. Wait, Fitz?"

Hank: "Leopold Fitz. Former Agent of SHIELD I think. Came highly recommended from Daisy to make sure we had every cyber firewall up so that nobody could hack the systems. I don't think he's a friend to many because he became distant when his partner Jemma passed. But I managed to find him and he's helping is remotely."

Scott: "Alright good. Eyes from the outside can't hurt us, especially with Emma unable to help."

Hank: "How is she?"

Scott: "She's… Emma. She's worried, but I've assured her as much as I can that things will be alright today."

Hank pats Scott on the shoulder: "I hope you're right dear friend."

We see various male guests enter the room and the photographer takes pictures as they enter and takes snaps of the guests individually. Tyrone Johnson enters and we see him greet Luke Cage and Colossus. Wolverine walks over to them.

Logan: "Ty'."

They shake hands.

Ty': "Logan. Long time no see."

Logan: "Yeah. You doin' ok? You and Tandy?"

Ty': "We're good. Fighting the small fight, but we hope we're making a difference."

We pan around the room as their conversation continues. We see Peter Parker slouched on a chair. He's talking to Daredevil, Captain America and The Thing.

Matt: "I can sense you're not in a good place Peter. Are you sure you're going to be able to handle yourself today?"

Peter: "I don't know."

Steve: "Have you considered getting outta here? For MJ's sake, if things go down badly and you're not fully focused, the person that's most likely to get hurt is Mary Jane."

Thing: "Wow, blunt, even for you Cap'."

Peter: "No, he's right. I considered it, but I didn't want to ruin the festivities for her. Besides I'm the one that broke up with her. She'll slap me in the face if I try to protect her all of a sudden."

Thing: "Relationships am I right?"

Peter shakes his head: "Right."

We zoom into Pete's mind and see his recollection of when Wanda Maximoff had changed everything before famously stating "no more mutants." Peter recalls being considered a hero. More importantly he recalls his love and relationship with Gwen Stacy.

We go from Peter to Matt. In his mind we see flashbacks of his relationship with Elektra Natchios. Matt remembers being happy, but then the memories are ruined by his recollection of Elektra's death.

We go from Matt's memories to Steve's. We see him slow-dancing with Peggy Carter. Both of them hold one another and are in a state of blissful happiness.

From Steve's memories we go into the mind of The Thing. All he's thinking about is fantasizing over ways of killing Johnny Storm.

We zoom out of The Thing's mind and he's chuckling to himself while joyfully taking a sip from his beer can: "What a day huh guys? Where's Johnny?" Thing gets up to go find his fellow Fantastic Four member.

Peter, Matt and Steve hold up their glasses and mildly accept Thing's enthusiasm. They look at one another. Their feelings of loss seem mutual. Without a further word to one another they clink glasses.

We see Wakanda'n servants enter the room and they're performing on drums and chanting as we see Reed enter the room followed by groom T'challa. The men applaud T'challa's entrance and we watch as the photographer does his thing.

/

Elsewhere we see Toad and Avalanche preparing the Jeep for their crew and their day. Erik is in the lobby of the hotel talking to Pietro.

Pietro: "This day could change everything for us."

Erik: "Much like it did last time we saw Wanda."

Pietro: "Dad, it's no guarantee that this is going to work."

Erik: "I realise that."

Raven and Janet walk over.

Raven: "Tyrone and Tandy are at the wedding. Tyrone's in a photoshoot and Tandy is meeting the other girls. She said there's a bridal photoshoot after the men. We can make our move in a couple of hours."

Pietro: "You're taking this well, being told what to do by Cloak and Dagger."

Raven: "Fuck you Pietro."

Janet: "Feisty."

Erik: "We all have people there that we have had good relationships with in the past. There's nothing wrong with allowing the I dos to happen. After that we make our move."

Raven shakes her head and walks off toward the Jeep. Erik, Pietro and Janet are out of the picture. She pretends to help Toad and Avalanche.

Raven: "You boys wanna get this party started early?"

Mortimer: "How? Are we leaving now?"

Raven: "Not all of us. Meet me out back in fifteen minutes. We'll go send some ripples. What do you say Nick?"

Nick: "I say I'm about ready to cause an avalanche in Egypt."

Toad smiles. Raven looks at him.

Mortimer: "What?"

Raven: "You in? Don't go runnin' to Erik. He'll meet us there later."

Mortimer: "We're on the same side you know. I'm in. Lets go give our guys a head start."

Raven nods and walks off. She pulls the car and gadget that Janet gave her out of her pocket.


	15. Episode 15

EPISODE 15:

We see Ororo sat talking at her phone. T'challa is on the screen via video call.

T'challa: "We are not supposed to see one another before the nuptials my love."

Ororo: "Well I wanted to make sure my King is ok. You were my King long before I am to be your wife."

T'challa: "Yes, but you will become my Queen in only a matter of hours."

Ororo: "Are you alright?"

T'challa: "Better now that I have seen you. I think quietly to myself, that anything is better when I have seen you. I am sure you will look radiant in your dress. Though I do hope you don't upstage my entrance. Will you be watching?"

Ororo: "I was going to via a live stream, but I'm going to save it. I hope to have a beautiful wedding video after all this is done. Seeing your entrance will be something for me to look forward to."

T'challa: "Are you alright my Queen-to-be?"

Ororo: "Oh yes. Have you ever seen me smile so much?"

T'challa smiles: "No. But my target is to make you smile every day."

Ororo: "You already do."

There's buzz around Ororo.

"I have to go. Be brave – and you look exquisite by the way."

T'challa: "Thank you. Do I get to see what you are wearing?"

Ororo: "No chance. You will get what you want in a few hours. I will too. I love you."

T'challa: "I love you too."

They both hang up smiling.

We fade into a clip showing Ramonda, Shuri, Okoyo, Jubilee, Kitty Pryde and Susan Storm all finishing the bridal preparation for Ororo. After completing her hair she's finally at a stage where she puts on her dress. Ramonda is tearful as are Jubilee and Kitty.

/

We fade to a clip of the men gathered for a photoshoot. T'challa is in traditional Wakanda'n wedding attire. The majority of the rest of the men are in suits. Logan is fidgety.

Luke Cage: "What's the matter?"

Logan: "Damn pants are givin' me a wedgie."

Cage chuckles.

Johnny Storm: "Careful. Don't shank yourself in the butthole when you pull that out."

Thing to Wolverine: "See how annoying he can be?"

Logan: "Yeah, I don't envy ya."

The guys take turns to have photos with T'challa. Photos are then taken in groups and pairs, with T'challa and Reed Richards. The final snap we see is of Scott Summers, Hank McCoy, Kurt Wagner, Remy LeBeau, Piotr Rasputin and James 'Logan' Howlett. The X-Men males are well dressed. Beast is his big blue furry self. Colossus in his metal form. Logan unshaved and scruffy. Nightcrawler blue-devilish. Gambit the sharpest dressed. Cyclops with his visor on, always ready.

/

We fade to a clip of guests being seated along the main setting for the wedding reception. The sun over the pyramids of Giza shines bright and there's no wind in the air as this outdoor extravaganza gets set to take place. The gents from the photoshoot arrive. Steve Rogers embraces his role as the usher. We see Wakanda'ns take their seats, close friends and relatives of T'challa.

/

We fade to a clip of Ororo fully ready and gleaming. She's surrounded by her close friends as the photographer arrives to do a similar job for the women as he did the men. Ramonda is constantly tearful and we often see Jubilee and Kitty wiping tears too. Natasha, Daisy, Tandy, MJ, Shuri and many others enjoy the glamour of the shoot. There are Wakanda'n servants performing with drums and African ululating. Ramonda says some traditional Wakanda'n bridal proverbs. As the photo session comes to an end we split screen to people taking their seats ushered by Steve Rogers out at the reception ceremony. The screen fades to the arrival of the female wedding party. As we see everyone take their seats we hear Kitty Pryde on voiceover; "Storm. I have called you a mentor, a friend and a sister. I can't tell you how happy I am for you today. You deserve absolutely everything. This journey you're taking was made for you. I am in awe and I am honoured to be here on your wedding day." We see a vast number of Wakanda'n drummers enter. The wedding guests turn their heads to watch as the great Black Panther makes his entrance. The drums are loud and rhythmic. T'challa's mother begins to clap in tune with them and other guests follow. There's chanting from the Wakanda'ns; more wedding traditions. Finally, T'challa approaches the stage. His best man Reed Richards is there. In the audience we see Tony Stark who is fiddling with a glove he has on from one of his Iron Man suits.

Tony whispers: "Happy, we clear in the air?"

Happy via Tony's earpiece: "Yeah, nothing for miles on the radar. Whoever comes to this wedding won't be flying in."

Tony cuts the call and we see Natasha next to him.

Natasha: "All good?"

Tony: "As good as can be."

/

We fade to Storm and Kitty alone in the Black Panther Complex. A couple of hundred yards from the wedding ceremony.

Storm: "I'm trying not to cry and you're not helping."

Kitty: "Sorry."

Storm: "Beast?"

Kitty: "He's on his way."

Beast presently arrives. He has a beaming smile on his face as he embraces Ororo.

Hank: "I won't kiss you. I'm not going to blemish perfection."

Ororo: "Please Beast, don't you make me cry too."

Hank: "Are you alright?"

Ororo: "Yes. How was T'challa's entrance?"

Hank: "Fantastic."

Susan Storm pops her head by the door and knocks on it: "It's time guys."

We cut to the guests sat in their seats for the reception. The atmosphere is calm and people are looking toward the back end of the walkway, awaiting the entrance of the bride. Drums begin to beat, softly. We hear a rumbling of thunder – extremely out of place under the stifling Egyptian sun. Jubilee steps onto the scene. She lets off one firework with her powers. Another, then another. The drums stop. Then Jubilee lets off a massive display of colour and explosion. Everything goes silent as the guests wait in anticipation. T'challa looks like he's bracing himself. He looks at Reed who raises his eyebrows and smiles. Reed hands T'challa something. We hear thunder. Heavy thunder. Then there's another spectacular display from Jubilee as the skies over the reception go dark and we see numerous bolts of lightning. The drums begin to beat again, harder, faster. We see Shuri with a beaming smile on her face. Sooraya with eyes of envy. Mary-Jane is crying. The guests are in awe. We then see the entrance of the bridesmaids Kitty Pryde and Sue Storm. Very soon after they begin walking toward the stage we see Beast walking behind them. It's curious that the bride is not with him. We look up to the sky and the clouds clear. The thunder lessons, but the lightning remains. Lightning on a clear day and a clear sky, lowering from high above, it can only be Ororo Munroe, the mighty Storm. People can't take their eyes off her as she floats down over her bridesmaids, never touching her feet on the walkway. She waits as Beast approaches the stage. He puts his hand out and Storm takes it, still floating. He puts her hand into T'challa's and then steps to the left onto the stage next to the arriving bridesmaids. As T'challa takes his fiancé's hand she touches down, landing at the feet of the great Black Panther. As we pan up from Storm and Black Panther's footwear we see them in their glorious outfits and we see Storm with a magnificent tiara. Her hair white and pristine. Her eyes eerily white as the lightning in the sky doesn't stop. A symbol of her powerful love and affection for her groom. T'challa has his mask on, a sight to behold; Storm and Black Panther ready to declare their devotion to one another. The wedding officiant begins, but he asks T'challa to remove his mask. T'challa stands there.

Shuri, to Ramonda: "Why did Reed give him the mask? Look at him, freezing as usual."

Ramonda: "Shh!"

Ororo lifts her hands to peel back her husband's mask. T'challa has a tear, which Ororo wipes right away. She smiles.

At the back of the venue we see Tyrone. He eyeballs Tandy many rows in front of him. She's smiling and they both seem content. Tyrone is composing a message to the group titled Goons on his WhatsApp; _30mins._

The wedding officiant continues. Ororo and T'challa are glowing. There's a rumble. It's minor at first, but then it becomes prominent. The wedding guests begin to gasp and chatter as the officiant stops.

Beast addresses his in-ear communication device; "Fitz?"

We hear Fitz: "Nothing. I don't see anything. Oh wait, about a mile out, it's Avalanche I think."

Beast gets off the stage and runs down the walkway. We see Cyclops, Gambit, Nightcrawler, Colossus and Wolverine get up off their seats and make their way to the end of their rows and they run down the walkway too. Storm looks over her shoulder to Kitty. She tilts her head as if to say it's ok to go. Kitty gets off the stage and runs down to follow the guys. She meets Jubilee at the entrance.

We cut to Beast leaping on all fours along the sand: "Where is he Fitz?"

Fitz: "West."

The rumbling continues and we watch as Gambit and Wolverine get on quad bikes and ride off. Nightcrawler BAMPF's through the scene to continue in the direction of them and Beast. Cyclops and Colossus stand with Jubilee and Shadowcat on the outskirts of the ceremony. We see Captain America, Iron Man and many others converge together.

Captain America: "Cyclops."

Cyclops: "Cap'. The bad guys will want to get to the foot of the pyramid at it's weakest point. Erik will realise that's at the back end of the Complex. We need to get these people to safety."

Shadowcat: "Jubilee and I will get everyone to the courtyard. They should be safe there."

Captain America: "How can we help?"

Cyclops: "Keep the fight away from the pyramid for as long as you can. Erik will know where he's going, but we don't know who he has with him or how he's going to play this. We need to subdue Erik, Mystique and somehow Juggernaut."

Hulk: "Hulk smash Juggernaut."

The ground is continuously shaking thanks to Avalanche and we see many of the wedding decorations falling and making a racket. The wedding officiant looks scared.

Cyclops: "Alright plan's in motion guys, lets keep our guards up."

Iron Man: "I'll head out to Beast and co. They might need firepower."

Black Widow: "Careful Tony. Mutants are more powerful than you think."

Iron Man: "Yeah I got that. No more mutants remember?"

/

Out in the desert sand we see Beast, Gambit, Wolverine and Nightcrawler all arrive before Avalanche who's down on one knee with his palm to the ground.

Wolverine: "Cut it out bub!"

Avalanche stands up, but the rumbling continues: "It's not even me" – but it's a woman's voice. The supposed Avalanche is revealed to be Mystique and she begins to run toward a vehicle close by. Mystique jumps in and the vehicle shrinks. A chasing Wolverine stops in his tracks and sniffs and growls.

Wolverine: "What the fuck?!"

BAMPF, Nightcrawler: "Where did they go?"

We see the miniature car driving in the sand right past the X-Men. Avalanche's rumbles continue.

Gambit continues on his quad as we see sand and dirt travel up on his bike behind him. The sand turns into Dust. She holds Gambit by the waist as they motor forward: "We got the perimeter."

Cyclops on earpiece: "Avalanche?"

Beast: "Negative. It was Mystique. She got into a car with Toad and I think Avalanche too."

Cyclops: "Gambit?"

Gambit and Dust motor around the perimeter on the quad bike.

Gambit: "There's no one else out here."

Cyclops: "Alright stay there and stick to the plan. You guys are our first line of defence."

We see Iron Man land beside Beast, Nightcrawler and Wolverine.

/

Back at the ceremony there's further commotion as cracks form and the ground begins to split. The wedding guests are panicking as Dagger goes to Cloak.

Cloak: "What the hell Tandy?"

Dagger: "It wasn't me Ty'. They knew to wait."

We watch as Luke Cage and Spider-Man try to direct people toward the Black Panther Complex where Jubilee and Shadowcat are trying to ensure people's safety. Mary-Jane, Shuri and Ramonda are in the crowd, but we notice the latter three get lost, though Ramonda seems to have Wakanda'n guards with her at all times. Daredevil is there too, guiding people, but then he gets lost in the crowd. The ground continues shaking and we see Nightcrawler BAMPF with Beast to the entrance.

Beast: "Mystique's car shrunk. The only people to have that kind of technology are Ant-Man and The Wasp. Fitz, any sign of the real Avalanche?"

Fitz: "Not yet, but there's a Jeep coming in fast, other vehicles too. Looks like there's a storm coming, no pun intended."

Beast: "Logan you see'm?"

/

Logan: "We see'm."

/

Cut to Cloak and Dagger.

Cloak: "Magneto's coming in now. We have to move."

Dagger: "D'you think that we're going in where we planned?"

Cloak: "I don't know, but let's stick to it. Assume everything is happening as scheduled."

Dagger: "Right."

Cloak and Dagger hold hands and disappear. All of a sudden we see them by the bride and groom. Cloak stands with the officiant and makes him disappear.

Storm: "Cloak, Dagger?"

Dagger puts her hands to Ororo and T'challa's hands: "Sorry guys."

Ororo and T'challa fall to the ground into a deep sleep.

Within the commotion we see Johnny Storm: "Thing, did you see that?"

Thing: "See what?"

Johnny points toward the stage. We see Dagger putting Mr. Fantastic to sleep.

Thing: "I fuckin' saw that!"

Johnny: "Flame on!"

Human Torch flies up vertically and then shoots a flame toward Dagger on the stage. Dagger sees it coming, but before the flame hits her Cloak is there and the two of them disappear. Johnny looks down toward Thing and shakes his head as Thing tries to get through the crowd and to the stage.

Sue Storm beside Reed's body: "Reed? Reed?"

Thing arrives: "Sue, what the hell happened? I saw Cloak and Dagger – ."

Sue: "I know Thing, I did too. I made myself invisible so they didn't get me. They haven't hurt them, but they're unconscious. In a sleep state."

Human Torch lands beside them: "Asleep? In the middle of all this racket?"

/

Elsewhere we watch as it's not only Magneto's Jeep approaching; it's a number of SUVs and ATVs. Gambit stops his quad bike and Dust leaps off. She transforms into sand and we watch as she creates a small whirling of sand by the quad. That whirling increases in size and continues to grow.

Gambit: "You got this Sooraya. They're coming."

Gambit drives the quad away from the growing sandstorm and over toward Wolverine and Iron Man. BAMPF; Nightcrawler arrives with Cyclops and Captain America. BAMPF; Nightcrawler disappears. Numerous vehicles approach and we see Magneto and Dr. Doom in the back of the Jeep driven by Sabretooth. Magneto sees all the accompanying vehicles. We notice Blob on the roof of one of the SUVs. A silver streak zooms past Erik's window.

Erik: "I made the right decision bringing you in to this mission Victor."

Doom: "You did. And we'll get what we want out of this. Faster Sabretooth!"

The vehicles get closer to the first line of defence, but vision decreases as all the automobiles embark on a giant sandstorm.

Angel in Cyclops' earpiece: "Scott I'm en route to you. But somethin's happened to Storm and Panth'. Reed is down too."

Cyclops: "How did that happen?"

Beast on earpiece: "I believe we have been infiltrated. Cloak and Dagger are nowhere to be seen."

Cyclops: "Try keep everyone safe Beast. Logan, Mystique?"

Wolverine: "I don't fuckin' know. She got into the car and it disappeared. Her scent was totally gone."

Cyclops: "You couldn't recognise her scent when she was Avalanche?"

Wolverine: "She masks everything Cyc' alright?"

We watch as some ATVs and SUVs crash into one another because of the sandstorm, but many vehicles drive through. Dust slows the sandstorm down as Magneto's Jeep stops a hundred yards from the first line of defence. Dust reforms into her normal self and practically falls into the arms of Gambit.

Dust: "Sorry. I couldn't keep it going any longer."

Gambit: "It's alright Chere, you done great."

Cyclops, Captain America, Wolverine and Iron Man approach as Magneto steps out of the Jeep. Numerous other vehicles stop in their tracks on either side of him. Angel arrives beside Iron Man. Magneto walks forward to go stand near the front of the Jeep. Dr. Doom exits the vehicle on the other side. Sabretooth winds down his window as he eyeballs Wolverine.

Sabretooth: "Let me at him Erik."

Erik: "Patience my friend. Not long now."

Cyclops shouts over: "Erik. You're ruining a hell of a day here. You still have the chance to walk away."

Erik: "I would say you have that chance Cyclops. Walk away unharmed or risk the safety of your friends."

Cyclops: "We know why you're here. Waking Nur won't guarantee anything. He may kill you where you stand for all you know."

Erik: "A chance I'm willing to take if it gets my daughter back."

Wolverine snarls, eyeballing Sabretooth.

Captain America: "Victor Von Doom. What investment do you have in this? Surely having the world full of mutants again goes against any plan you have of political leadership."

Dr. Doom: "On the contrary. With my friend Erik beside me, there is a lot I can do for the mutant community if they so rise again. But I'm not here for Erik or for this awakening." Doom waves forward his goons. "I am here for Susan and the Fantastic Four!"

Erik opens the door for Sabretooth to exit the Jeep. Erik takes his place in his seat. He shuts the door and revs the vehicle.

Erik: "Have at it."

Sabretooth: "Finally."

Wolverine; SNIKT!


	16. Episode 16

EPISODE 16:

ATVs and SUVs drive full speed toward and past Cyclops and co. at the first line of defence. Dust puts up sand walls which lift vehicles into the air and have them crash land. Gambit kinetically charges playing cards and throws them toward tires, blowing them so those vehicles can't go further. Wolverine and Sabretooth battle one another as if they were gladiators in an arena. Dr. Doom's goons step out of other vehicles and begin shooting. Captain America, Angel and Iron Man defend themselves and fight back. Doom's goons have guns and don't care to use them. Erik addresses Doom.

Erik: "You didn't tell me guns were your way to go."

Doom: "That was your deal with Cloak and Dagger, not mine."

Doom joins in the fight, going back and forth with Cyclops. Erik decides to drive through the chaos. We see at the back end of the Jeep that it's heavily weighed down. Juggernaut sits with a rocket launcher in his grasp.

/

At the entrance of the ceremony we watch as a number of Doom's goons' vehicles arrive. Shots are fired and dozens of Doom's army exit the vehicles and go on to battle the second line of defence. We see Black Widow engage. Hulk battles many. Beast launches armed soldiers as far from the entrance as he can.

/

We fade to seeing Shadowcat and Jubilee along with Luke Cage guiding people away from the commotion and toward the Black Panther Complex.

/

Spider-Man joins the fight at the second line of defence and he seeks out Nightcrawler.

Spider-Man: "Kurt, Kitty needs help."

Nightcrawler: "On it."

Colossus: "Take me with you, please?"

Nightcrawler looks toward Beast who sees Blob arriving in the far distance.

Beast: "We'll need you here Piotr. You have to do the job. You can't help Kitty out of emotion."

Colossus: "Please Beast," he points toward Banner; "we have a Hulk after all."

Hulk: "Hulk smash fat Blob!"

Beast nods to Colossus as BAMPF, Colossus and Nightcrawler disappear.

/

The ground keeps rumbling and opening and we see Avalanche inside the vehicle with Mystique beside him. Toad is driving.

Mystique: "You can't do more damage?"

Avalanche: "Not at this size." He stops the rumbles, exhausted. "We need to be normal so I can break the ground more."

Mystique: "Fine. Toad stop the car."

Toad stops and Mystique presses the button on the gadget that The Wasp gave her for the car. The car becomes regular size, making the inhabitants regular size too. We see Quicksilver swiftly appear by the car window. He knocks on it. Mystique gets out.

Quicksilver: "There you are. What was the rush?"

Mystique makes the car miniature and puts it in her pocket. She marches toward the Black Panther Complex: "Cloak and Dagger are here for the same thing we are. I just made things happen a little early."

Quicksilver: "Right before the I dos? That's cold."

Mystique: "Like I give a shit." Mystique marches with Quicksilver, Toad and Avalanche in tow. "Is everyone else here?"

Quicksilver: "They're here. There's a big fight on the outskirts and one at the ceremony. How did you guys make it in this far?"

Mystique: "That's not important. What's important is finding that tomb and getting sunlight to it. Where are Blob and Juggernaut?"

Quicksilver: "Blob's at the ceremony. Juggernaut's with my dad."

Mystique: "And Wasp?"

We see The Wasp crawl out of Quicksilver's pocket. She flies into some space and appears as regular size: "I'm right here. Thanks for the heads up."

Mystique: "I get impatient."

Cloak and Dagger emerge.

Dagger: "Your impatience is bullshit."

Cloak: "And why are we hearing gunfire? Your dad agreed that there would be no killing!"

Mystique: "Look Cunt and Fucker, do you wanna wake Nur or not? All that commotion keeps all the good little bunnies busy so we can get through the building and out back to break down to the hollow ground under the pyramid. Is that alright with you?"

Dagger: "What the hell did you just call me?"

Cloak: "We don't have time for this. Do we know for sure that's the weakest point of the pyramid?"

Quicksilver: "Yeah, right out the back of the fancy hotel. I took a zing around the place and Wasp went into some cracks. That hollow ground is out the back and below, as dad expected."

The group arrive at the Black Panther Complex. Quake is there with her guard up.

Quake: "Mystique. No surprise you're on Erik's side over such a ludicrous plan."

Mystique: "I'll have you know it was my idea."

Quicksilver: "Our idea. Yeah that's right, our idea. What's it to you anyway Quake? Mutants have zilcho to do with Inhumans."

Quake: "Except for the fact that a lot of'm are my friends. Apart from Cloak and Dagger apparently."

Dagger begins talking as Avalanche and Toad become impatient. Mystique seems up for a fight, but Cloak and Dagger try to calm the situation down. We fade as we see Jubilee join Quake's side.

/

We cut to see BAMPF Nightcrawler bring Colossus to Shadowcat.

Shadowcat: "There's drama out front Kurt, Mystique has arrived. Daisy is there and Jubilee's gone too. Can you help me get these people to the courtyard?"

Nightcrawler: "Of course mein freund."

Nightcrawler BAMPFs on and off to move people to perceived safety. There's an awkward silence between Piotr and Kitty.

Shadowcat: "I can't handle this right now Pete."

Colossus: "Calm Shadowcat. Where do you need me?"

The building rumbles and we see parts of it begin to fall. BAMPF, Nightcrawler drops off Luke Cage.

Cage: "Most of the people are outside, but I heard there's a fight where I may be of more assistance."

Shadowcat nods: "Out front. Try minimise the chaos." She looks at her former beau; "You too Colossus."

Colossus nods and pounds fists with Luke Cage as they exit the scene. Shadowcat and Nightcrawler try to help and guide people through the rubble and the rumbling.

/

Colossus and Luke Cage emerge at the entrance of the Complex, joining Jubilee and Quake as the last line of defence as the fight has already ensued. Quake and Avalanche try and cancel one another out as Cage fights with Toad and Colossus goes for Mystique. She's agile and she goes between Cage's fight, turning into Cage and confusing Colossus. She goes between Quake's fight and turns into her, confusing Colossus. Cloak, Dagger, Quicksilver and The Wasp are no longer on the scene.

/

We fade to seeing the fight continuing at the first line of defence; Cyclops, Captain America, Wolverine, Iron Man, Gambit, Dust and Angel battling against what seems like hundreds of Dr. Doom's goons.

We split-screen to seeing the second line of defence where Thing and Human Torch do all they can to protect the unconscious bodies of Storm, Black Panther and Mr. Fantastic. Sue Storm is covering them using her power to form a protective shield, but the chaos continues as Blob and Hulk tumble back and forth. Beast deals with Doom's soldiers along with Black Widow and Spider-Man. Wakanda'n guards try to do their part in honour of their fallen King T'challa.

/

We see Cloak and Dagger emerge at the back of the Complex. Quicksilver and The Wasp are already there. The building rumbles because Avalanche is trying to bring it down and Quake is trying to counter him on the outside. Shadowcat emerges through a wall. She sees Cloak and Dagger.

Shadowcat: "Ty', Tandy?" She sees The Wasp; "Hope? What's going on?"

The Wasp: "Not Hope, not anymore."

Dagger: "She's Janet now. Took her mom's name."

Shadowcat: "Why?"

Rumbles continue and the building continues to crumble around and near them. As Cloak begins to speak we hear a loud boom. They all look up and see that the Complex is falling apart even more.

Shadowcat: "Ty'? What the hell?"

Cloak: "Look Kitty, we can explain later."

Another boom.

/

We cut to the outside and see that Erik and has driven onto the scene of the last line of defence. Juggernaut on the back end of the Jeep. The booms are coming from a rocket launcher that Juggernaut was shooting at the Complex. Quicksilver zooms to Erik.

Quicksilver: "Dad, you can stop. We've found our way in. We need Juggernaut to get us through."

Mystique shouts: "Blow the whole place down!"

Quicksilver: "No dad, you said it yourself; Nur's in a tomb down there. If the building falls then we risk crushing him underneath."

Erik nods and exits the vehicle: "Get Cain and I inside."

Quicksilver zooms his father to where Cloak, Dagger, The Wasp and Shadowcat are. We watch as he heads back out to the front and tries to take Juggernaut, but he can't pull him.

Quicksilver: "Juggernaut, what the hell man?"

Juggernaut stands there as Quicksilver tries to pull, to push and even tries causing a mini tornado to get Marko to move. As Juggernaut tries to explain we see Luke Cage land a fist in his face and this knocks him back a few yards. Juggernaut goes right back at him and headbutt's Cage to the ground. Colossus comes to take over as Toad latches his tongue around Cage's neck and their fight continues.

Mystique: "Pietro, get me inside."

Quicksilver zooms Mystique into the crumbling building. Shadowcat is arguing with Cloak, Dagger, Wasp and Erik.

Erik to Mystique and Quicksilver: "Where's Cain?"

Mystique: "You didn't realise Juggernaut's too big and heavy for Pietro to move at speed."

Erik: "Shit."

Quicksilver: "Sorry dad. I tried, but he wouldn't budge."

Erik: "Alright well go help the fight son. We need him in here."

Mystique: "Pietro, take me back out there."

Quicksilver takes Mystique back out to the fight.

/

We fade to see how Wolverine and Sabretooth have made one another bleed dramatically, but both of their wounds gradually heal.

Sabretooth: "You would lose if you weren't a mutant Wolverine. The punishment you take from me would've had you torn to shreds years ago!"

Wolverine: "You ever thought that I keep you alive for sport bub? I can fuck you up if I want to you ugly piece of shit. Look at you, you're an animal. You blame me for never standing out, you blame me for always being second best and what, you blame me for Decimation Day too? You want to be human huh? Or did you want me to lose my mutant abilities just so you can come and finally kill me?"

Sabretooth in anger: "I wanna kill you! I'll be the one to kill you!"

The brothers scream at one another and continue their battle.

/

At the wedding reception we see the arrival of Dr. Doom having made it through the first line of defence. He's fully armoured and floating in the air due to his rocket boots. We watch as he has a skirmish with Spider-Man and then he has his eyes set on Mr. Fantastic, though he can recognise that Sue Storm is there because of the protective shield. He floats toward the stage, but Thing and Human Torch come to stand in his way. Around their showdown we see Black Widow and Beast fighting Doom's goons. Human Torch barks at Doom commanding him to step away, but without a word in return Doom force blasts Thing and then he shoots a laser toward Human Torch, but Johnny absorbs it in his fire state. A battle ensues between them, but every so often Doom fires a force blast at the shield that Invisible Woman has up over Mr. Fantastic, Storm and Black Panther. We see Wakanda'n guards in the mix of fighting Doom's goons. Many of which sacrifice themselves for King T'challa.

/

Outside of the Black Panther Complex we see Mystique go to the back of the Jeep to pick up the rocket launcher. Quicksilver gets involved in the fight, helping Toad against Luke Cage while Jubilee tries to help Quake against Avalanche to try and minimise the rumbling. Mystique makes her way through the commotion and into the entrance of the Complex.

/

At the back of the Complex we see Shadowcat arguing with Cloak and Dagger. Black Panther's mother Ramonda is there trying to reason with Erik. Daredevil is there and he's arguing with The Wasp back and forth.

Shadowcat: "Ramonda, please, you shouldn't be out here, please let me take you to safety."

Ramonda: "I will not let a tyrant come and ruin my son's wedding day without having my say."

Daredevil to The Wasp: "I can tell by your heartbeat that you're the most anxious person in here. Why is that?"

Wasp: "You know nothing about me Murdock."

Dagger to Cloak: "Come on Ty' get us in."

Cloak: "I've tried. I don't know what's on the other side, so I can't get through. Magneto's plan was right to bring Juggernaut in."

/

Nightcrawler BAMPFs to the first line of defence to collect Cyclops. He seems hurt, but continues valiantly. BAMPF.

/

BAMPF; they arrive at the back of the Black Panther Complex with Nightcrawler holding Cyclops up.

Cyclops: "Erik. You have to stop. Nothing good is going to come from waking En Sabah Nur." Cyclops looks at Cloak and Dagger. "You two. Of all the things you could've done against us, this is the most heinous crime you could've committed."

Dagger: "Crime?" She laughs, "Crime? You hear that Ty'?"

Cloak: "Tandy come on, he didn't mean it like that. Scott if you would just let us explain."

Cyclops: "You can explain yourselves later. Enough now Erik."

Erik: "Oh holier-than-thou Cyclops. I'm here to get Wanda back. This is the only way I know how."

Cyclops: "You're here to waken the apocalypse. You know better than anybody that this guy can't be trusted, nor reasoned with, nor negotiated with." He says barking at Erik while also addressing Cloak and Dagger. "There's no telling what he could do if you wake him. It could be the end of all of us."

Erik: "What do you know about anything Scott? En Sabah Nur was the first ever mutant. He might see the lack of mutants in the world and want more of a mutant presence. He might understand that we need Wanda back so that she can make things the way they were."

Cyclops: "The way they were when you were Magneto? The way they were when mutants were a prosperous part of the world?"

Erik: "Exactly. Wanda could be found. Charles could be found. I don't understand why you're so against this. Waking Nur might fix everything."

Cyclops: "Might Erik, key word being _might! _You're hurting people to get what you want here. And if Nur agrees with you, that the mutant population needs to come to life again, what if he agrees to it on the basis of wiping out humans first? This is a reckless attempt to restore your life. You're even more selfish than you have ever been and I'm not going to let you do it!"

We see Mystique emerge with the rocket launcher readily pointed toward the back wall of the Black Panther Complex; the softest point of the pyramid outside. Nightcrawler steps in front of the whole crowd.

Mystique: "Kurt move out of the way. Leave here. This has nothing to do with you."

Nightcrawler: "I'm sure me being a mutant has everything to do with it mother. Why? Don't want to fight your own son?"

Mystique: "I'm not here to fight, I'm here to get to Nur so move!"

Everyone begins to squabble and shout over one another.

The Wasp to Nightcrawler: "Your mom's fuckin' crazy."

Dagger to Cyclops: "Who do you think you are?"

Erik to Daredevil: "What business is this of yours?"

Cloak to Shadowcat: "No, you're not listening. This has to be done because…"

We hear a stomping. A stampede-like march, but the arguing continues. We cut to the outside where Juggernaut runs through the front of the Complex full speed, decking Jubilee on the way. She's knocked out cold as he continues all the way through. He decks Mystique en route, smashes through the crowd and goes head first into the back wall of the Complex. The wall caves through and downward. Juggernaut falls through into a hollow dark space. Cloak and Dagger have disappeared. Daredevil is nowhere to be seen. Shadowcat is on the floor, but only has a few scratches on her.

Shadowcat: "Oh my God. Ramonda? Ramonda, where are you?"

Erik picks himself up, as does Cyclops. Mystique is out cold and Nightcrawler is checking on her. Erik and Cyclops look down into the dark hole. We watch as a line of sand and gravel moves along the floor past the feet of Erik and Cyclops and down into the hole.

/

Following the sand and gravel we see that Juggernaut has landed in a heap of rubble and he seems dizzy. The space beneath the pyramid is circular and while Juggernaut is in the middle we can see four entrance ways that assumedly lead to different places.

/

We cut to Ramonda walking down a dark tunnel. She fiddles through her clothing; a stunning outfit that had become dusty, torn and ruined. She pulls out her mobile phone and turns on the flashlight. She points it down the tunnel and sees nothing, but instead of turning around to go back, she keeps walking.

/

We fade to Daredevil walking down a dark tunnel. He seems steady with his pace, but purposeful.

/

We see The Wasp, in her miniature state flying through a dark tunnel. We cut to her point of view and through her technology she can see where she's going via night-vision. "Here Nurry Nurry Nurry" she says quietly to herself.

/

Elsewhere in another part of this underground maze we see sand and gravel whooshing through a dark tunnel.

/

Further underneath the pyramid we're in a dark room that has the mummified body of En Sabah Nur on a raised platform in the middle. There's walking space around him and the room is circular. As we pan around it we can just about make out that it has four separate entrance points.

/

Out front of the Black Panther Complex we see Cloak and Dagger emerge by Quicksilver. Gambit is riding onto the scene on his quad bike, but by the time he gets there Cloak, Dagger and Quicksilver have disappeared. Gambit sees Quake in trouble and he charges a card and flings it at Avalanche, exploding the ground at his feet and causing Avalanche to be blasted away from Quake. Gambit gets off the quad and goes over to Quake to check on her. She's hurt, but conscious as he puts an arm under her head.

Quake: "Always helpin' a damsel in distress huh?"

Gambit: "Well I would hardly say you were ever in distress Chere."

Gambit helps Quake to her feet.

Quake: "I heard that the opening to El Savio -"

Gambit: " - En Sabah Nur."

Quake: "Whatever. His tomb's under the back end of the Complex. Thing is Shadowcat led a lot a people near there to try get'm to safety. I don't know what's going on now."

Gambit: "Cyc' must be in there." Gambit notices Jubilee down and out: "Merde, Jubilee!"

Quake sees Toad coming for them: "Go to her, I'll handle him."

In the distance we watch as a couple of SUVs carrying Doom's goons also drive over. Gambit puts his hand to Quake's waist: "You sure you're gonna be alright?"

Quake: "You gonna take your hand off my ass?"

Gambit smiles: "Sorry, force of habit." He runs off in the direction of Jubilee.

Daisy shakes her head, has a smile to herself, but then gets her fists up and ready to fight once again.

/

We fade to seeing Captain America and Iron Man teaming up against a number of Doom's goons at the first line of defence. Wolverine and Sabretooth endlessly go back and forth.

/

Angel joins the second line of defence, trying to help Hulk against Blob. Spider-Man is hurt as is The Thing. Beast and Black Widow do a great number on the goons, but when they try and help Human Torch, Doom force blasts Beast away and he shoots Black Widow with a laser. She's down and badly hurt. Now Human Torch is one on one against Dr. Doom as Sue Storm tries protecting her husband and friends.

Black Widow on comms to her fellow Avengers: "Tony, Cap', get back to the wedding venue. Shit's hitting the fan here."

/

Luke Cage and Quake are fighting out front of the Complex against Avalanche, Toad and numerous Dr. Doom goons. Colossus is protecting the area around Jubilee. Gambit can't seem to wake her.

Gambit: "Jubilee!"

/

We fade to a four-way split screen where we see Ramonda, Daredevil, The Wasp and Dust make their way down their respective tunnels.

Meanwhile Erik and Cyclops are arguing. Nightcrawler is beside his mother's fallen body and we see Shadowcat sink herself through the ground and down to Juggernaut. He tries to get up through all the rubble, but Kitty goes to his legs and sinks into the ground around him, pulling his legs into the floor. Juggernaut's body is halfway down into the ground and Shadowcat smartly pulls one of his arms into the ground too. He begins swearing at her as only his head and one arm are free from the floor. He begins swiping for her, but she's out of reach and he can't move. She ignores him as she turns and looks around, realising that she has a choice of four tunnels to go down.


	17. Episode 17

EPISODE 17:

We fade into the tomb of En Sabah Nur. His mummified body is at rest. We see Cloak and Dagger emerge in the darkness. Tandy makes a bright light dagger and walks around the circular room. We see Arabic inscriptions on the walls. She finds what looks like a candle holder and puts the light in there, a steady spot. She continues walking around the room and puts more light daggers in a few more candle holders. Now they can see everything. Tyrone is stood staring at Nur. Tandy goes to stand beside him.

Dagger: "He's big."

Cloak: "Yeah."

Dagger: "Are you ready to do this?"

Cloak: "Yeah. But er, maybe we should remove the wraps around him first. De-mummify him."

Dagger: "Do we need to? What if his natural state is to look like this? If we remove the wraps maybe he'll decompose to ashes or something?"

Cloak: "You watch too many movies."

Dagger: "Right, as if we ever get the time."

Cloak: "Off his eyes then at least?"

Dagger: "Ok."

Tyrone goes to Nur's head and carefully pulls the wrap that covers his eyes.

Dagger: "Alright can we get this over with? I'm gettin' the shivers down here."

Tyrone nods and he close his eyes as Tandy stands back. He puts his hands on Nur's shoulders and we see him disappear. Tandy looks confused as Nur hasn't moved. Tyrone reappears exactly where he was.

Cloak: "I can't do it."

Dagger: "What do you mean? You know your way out, just get him into the sunlight."

Cloak: "No I mean I can't do it. My teleportation won't allow me to move him."

Dagger: "Try again."

Cloak tries again, but again he can't move Nur.

Cloak: "Is there any other way we can do this? We can't exactly carry him up."

Dagger: "Magneto said he needs light, so what if I provide that light?"

Cloak: "Sunlight Tandy, I don't think your shine is going to work here. Daggers are all over the room and they've had no affect."

Dagger: "Well at least let me try?"

Cloak holds his hands up and backs away from Nur's body. Dagger beams bright white light from her hands. She shines it over the entire body of Nur. Cloak takes a closer look, but he waves his hand to get Tandy to stop.

Cloak: "See."

Dagger shakes her head. "Well what's our next best plan? Wasp was going to get natural sunlight down here right?"

Cloak: "Yeah and she's on our side, but to find her would take time, especially if she's in her shrunken state. I was thinking maybe Nightcrawler could do it."

Dagger: "But if your teleportation doesn't work then why would his?"

Cloak: "He's a mutant and so is En Sabah Nur. Maybe that's why my abilities aren't working."

/

Up top we see Quicksilver zing to where Magneto and Cyclops are arguing.

Quicksilver: "Dad, I've been to have a look around. There are four tunnels that wind differently, but all end at Nur's tomb. Cloak and Dagger are already down there. There are others in the tunnels too, but it's pitch black until you get to the tomb so they'll take a while to make it there."

Erik: "Good son. Cloak and Dagger will wake Nur and our plan will be close to completion."

Cyclops: "No Erik, you still don't get it. I've about had enough of this." Scott looks over to Nightcrawler who's checking on his fallen mother. "Kurt, our plan!"

Nightcrawler looks over his shoulder and gives Cyclops a nod. BAMPF, he goes to Cyclops and touches his arm as well as Magneto's. Erik begins to give Quicksilver instruction, but before he can get a word out BAMPF, Nightcrawler, Erik and Cyclops are gone. Quicksilver realises that Mystique is down.

Quicksilver: "Shit."

/

Back in the tomb we watch as sand and gravel travel along the floor only to emerge by the body of En Sabah Nur as Dust.

Dust: "You were supposed to be friends of the X-Men. Give me a reason why I shouldn't remove you from here in cyclone of sand."

Dagger: "Damn it, another bitch who thinks she knows better."

Cloak: "Relax Tandy. Look, Dust right? We're not here to fight. Nor harm anyone."

Dust: "Arriving with soldiers and a rocket launcher gives a distinct otherwise impression."

Cloak: "That was Erik's doing. Magneto. I don't suppose you've met him before?"

Dust: "No."

Cloak: "Well he's a politician. He says whatever he needs to in order to get what he wants, so it looks like he enlisted our help, but in truth we enlisted his. We have different reasons from Erik as to why, but we must wake En Sabah Nur."

Dust: "Why?"

Dagger: "Do we have to go through the details now? We have to wake him!"

Dust: "Tell me why or else I will be forced to be combative. I am hearing you out only because the X-Men trusted you, once."

Dagger: "I can give you a fight woman."

Cloak: "Tandy would you please? Just calm down."

Cloak goes on to tell Dust that ever since Decimation Day Cloak and Dagger haven't been able to see any future. "That's what Tandy and I do; when we touch people we can see what's a good part of their future, their hopes and dreams and we can see a bad. She sees the light and I see the dark. But after Decimation Day we had a disconnect between us. I went to New York and found a friend in Luke Cage. Tandy went to Europe in search of a better life. But soon I realised that I wasn't seeing anything when I'd encounter bad guys. I saw nothing, just pitch black. First I thought it was drugs or lack of wherewithal that clouded people's minds and that they had no future, but then when Tandy and I reunited she said she saw nothing but darkness too. We realised that it all started when Decimation Day happened; the world lost the vast majority of it's mutant population."

Dagger: "More importantly; it had lost it's future."

Dust: "How do you figure it was completely down to D-Day? Maybe it happened because the two of you were far apart?"

Dagger: "That's what we thought initially, but my other powers were fine. I could still detect truth by touching someone and I was still able to put them to sleep. Ty' could still teleport so the only thing that was unclear, black, was the future."

Cloak: "That's why we need to wake Nur. We have been all over the world and it's obvious that Wanda still has her powers because she's completely covered her tracks somehow. We don't know where she is nor where to find her."

Dagger: "Believe us Dust, we never wanted to help bust Juggernaut out of jail or side with Magneto. We are friends of the X-Men. But ends justify our means. Nur has to wake in order to find Wanda. She has to restore the mutant population and give everyone their powers back."

Dust: "How do you know she can do it? She was emotionally distraught, so I've heard, when she made mutant powers disappear. What if she can't reset everything? What if the powers are completely gone?"

Cloak: "That's where it gets complicated. We believe that the powers aren't gone, they're simply being harvested."

Dust: "Harvested where? How?"

Dagger: "We don't know, but that's where Nur comes in. When he wakes he'll feel the world and he'll know that there is a lack of mutant presence. We'll talk to him and he'll see that he needs to help us in order to restore balance."

Cloak: "And to restore hope."

Dust: "But you know the history? You know the stories? Nur's mutant alias is Apocalypse for a reason."

Cloak: "We know that. But every time he rests he does so because the world has balance. Bringing mutants back by finding Wanda will restore that balance."

Dust shakes her head.

Dagger: "Look Dust," she waves her arm toward the inscriptions on the walls.

Dust walks to them to take a closer look. She begins reading the Arabic to herself.

Cloak: "We know you're an X-Man Dust, but we are not here to do bad and we understand the consequences of waking Apocalypse. But you have to see he's -"

Dust: "- He's a Prophet."

/

We see Nightcrawler emerge with Cyclops and Erik in the security office. There are two Wakanda'n guards there. Nightcrawler holds Erik with his tail and guides him to a seat where the guards tie him down with duct tape.

Erik: "You're a fool Scott Summers. You never understand the bigger picture, you only think of now, the immediate and -"

Cyclops: " - You want tape over your mouth? Well then shut up so I can hear myself think."

Cyclops gets his phone out of his pocket and makes a video call. Emma Frost is on screen.

Emma: "Scott? Are you alright?"

Cyclops: "I am, but I don't know about everybody else. We can talk later, but I thought you might want in on this."

Scott turns the phone in his hand to show Emma how Erik is taped to a chair. He places the phone on the security station opposite where Erik is sitting so it looks like Erik and Emma are face to face.

Emma: "Be careful Scott."

Cyclops: "We will. Kurt lets go. We need to regroup before confronting Cloak and Dagger."

BAMPF, Nightcrawler and Cyclops disappear. The Wakanda'n guards resume their positions at the control panel.

Emma begins her interrogation: "Cloak and Dagger? Erik, what did you do?"

/

We hear "Helllp, helllp!"

Quicksilver looks over the edge of the destruction leading down to Nur's tomb. "Juggernaut? Oh hey, didn't see ya down there." He sees Juggernaut stuck in the ground with only his head, a shoulder and one arm free.

Juggernaut: "Bull shit Silver boy, you ran past me a few moments ago! Help me. Get me out of here!"

Quicksilver: "I couldn't move you when you were standing so I won't be able to get you out of that. Let me go get Blob. Don't go anywhere now."

Pietro zings off.

Juggernaut yells: "Ass hole!"

/

We see a clip where it's only Wolverine at the first line of defence. There are Doom's goons' bodies everywhere, but Wolverine's never ending fight with Sabretooth continues.

/

We are at the second line of defence where the commotion has simmered down. Dr. Doom is no longer there, but we see Iron Man beside Black Widow. She's conscious and talking, but can't get up. Angel is down and hurt and we see Blob down too. Hulk and Beast are dealing with remaining Doom goons as Spider-Man is getting himself back to his feet and back to the remainder of the fight. Captain America is beside the bodies of Mr. Fantastic, Storm and Black Panther. He has Sue Storm's head in his lap. BAMPF, Nightcrawler and Cyclops emerge.

Cyclops: "Cap' what happened?"

Captain America: "We got here and it was too late." Cap' points over to Thing, who's holding Johnny Storm's body.

Cyclops: "Sue?"

Captain America closes Sue Storm's eyes. "She's gone."

Cyclops goes over to see Johnny, but Thing pushes him away.

Cyclops: "Thing, come on, let me check on him."

Thing barks: "He's alive, but barely. No thanks to you!"

Spider-Man comes over: "Oh my God, Sue! Is Reed?"

Thing: "Alive. At least."

Cyclops goes back to Captain America: "Storm? T'challa?"

Captain America: "They're alright. They're asleep."

Cyclops: "Alright, Kurt take Hulk and go help Wolverine. Get back here as soon as you can."

Spider-Man: "I need to find Mary-Jane."

Cyclops: "We'll all go to the Complex now Peter, don't worry."

Iron Man pipes up: "Can't let you do that Cyc'. We have a lot of people down and we need to get'm care."

Cyclops: "The mission's not over yet Tony. Cloak and Dagger are down at the tomb."

Iron Man: "Cloak and Dagger are your fuckin' responsibility alright. Sue Storm just died Scott. If I get anywhere near Cloak and Dagger I might kill'm myself."

Cylcops: "What? Tony be reasonable. It was Doom that killed her right?"

Captain America: "Right."

Iron Man: "Right, so? Who brought Doom into Magneto's plan? Why are Cloak and Dagger in cahoots with them? I don't know and I don't care. I'm taking my people and we're leaving. This wedding is obviously over."

Captain America: "Tony, we can't abandon them now. The world is our responsibility."

Iron Man: "My people are my responsibility. (Addressing his earpiece) Happy, get Rhodey. We're going to need an extraction."

Cyclops looks at Captain America who looks at Hulk, then back at Cyclops.

Captain America: "Where's Erik right now?"

Cyclops: "Security office. He's not a danger. Mystique is hurt and out of the picture too. With Doom gone all we have to do is get through the remaining fight at the Complex."

Captain America: "Alright, Hulk go with Nightcrawler. Thing take Johnny with Tony. Assuming the worst we best get Reed, Ororo and T'challa out of here, along with Angel and anyone else that's hurt. We did what you asked of us Summers. We helped. By the time Hulk gets back we'll be ready for extraction. We'll try wake those three and try and heal the wounded, but we're not sticking around for what may come against Nur. We're not strong enough and we need to regroup and recuperate. You have to make sure that Nur is handled. Can you do that?"

Cyclops: "Your team has done more than I had hoped." Cyclops shakes Captain America's hand. Iron Man shakes his head. "The X-Men will handle things from here. Thank you," to Iron Man and Black Widow; "all of you."

Cyclops looks at Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: "Oh I'm stickin' around. I can't leave here without MJ. I'd never forgive myself."

Nightcrawler to Iron Man: "What about the security pillars you have in place to trap Nur? Who has control of them?"

We see Beast leap over after having decked two final goons: "I know how to use those if we so need them." Beast goes over to put a hand on Thing's shoulder. Thing has a tear in his eye.

Thing: "He tried saving his sister. But as soon as Doom got through he got what he wanted; Sue one on one. Sue screamed at him, yelled and told him to fuck off. He said that if he couldn't have her then no one could. He could've killed Johnny or me or Reed. He took Sue. He fuckin' killed Sue."

Natasha stumbles over to hug and console Thing. Cyclops and Captain America look forlorn. Tony is angry. BAMPF, Nightcrawler and Hulk disappear as Spider-Man heads to the Complex. In the distance within the rubble on the same scene we see Quicksilver arrive by a fallen Blob. He can't move him. He looks over to the crowd by Sue and Johnny's fallen bodies. He shakes his head and zings out of there.

/

The Wasp has arrived from out of the tunnels to join Cloak, Dagger and Dust by the body of En Sabah Nur.

Dust: "The writing translates to declare not only that Nur is the first mutant, but that he's Muslim too. He was put on earth by Allah as a keeper of balance. It took hundreds of years for other mutants to emerge, but it says that they only did so after Nur gave Allah the message that the world was ready for mutants. And you're right, Nur goes back into hibernation whenever balance is in order after he's risen. It says what's happened every time that he wakes. Sometimes he has destroyed countries. Other times he has done absolutely nothing."

Wasp: "Nothing?"

Dust: "Nothing at all. Four times over the centuries he's risen and done nothing. Simply gave the message to God that the world is in balance and then went back to sleep."

Dagger: "Shouldn't God already know that?"

Dust: "He sees all that we do, but not necessarily by conventional thinking. Maybe He sees us through the eyes of a child. Maybe He sees us through our dearest loved one. But He is not always present. As master of the universe He has other planets, probably other galaxies to watch over. So Nur is here as his messenger. A Prophet."

Wasp: "And evidently here as his restorer of balance. So you'll help us, I mean you get all this right? You're Muslim. With you understanding the writing on these walls maybe you can be the one who talks to him. He'll know you woke him and you can tell him what happened with Wanda."

Dust: "I am Muslim and I could talk to him yes, but I am part of a team. I cannot make these decisions without discussion and fair conclusion."

Dagger: "By the time you do that the X-Men might've caved this place in or closed it off. We can't wait."

Dust: "No. The X-Men are fair. They will listen to me, if not to you."

Cloak: "But they'll be angry Dust. People have been hurt in a real big fight up there. Please. We must get Nur into the light to wake him."

Dust reads the inscription further on. She says: "It's not just light that wakes him. It's very specific. The light has to come from a certain direction and it has to shine on his eyes."

Wasp: "What direction?"

/

We fade to a clip showing Nightcrawler and Hulk arriving to help Wolverine. They dominate Dr. Doom's remaining soldiers and then batter Sabretooth who eventually flees the scene realising that he's outnumbered 3-1.

Wolverine: "Aaaarrrgh! I could've had him!"

Hulk: "Hulk scare puny mutant away."

Wolverine: "You don't scare me bub, damn it Kurt why are you here?"

Nightcrawler: "People are hurt and the tomb has been exposed mein freund. Serious matters are at hand and Cyclops wants us to regroup."

Wolverine: "Fuck. Who's hurt?"

/

Dust: "I don't know how I feel about this."

Wasp: "What direction?"

Dagger: "Come on, we're wasting time here."

Cloak: "Wait Tandy, give her time. Dust, you believe in God. You trust in God. So trust in his messenger. Help us wake him. You said it yourself, En Sabah Nur is a Prophet."

Dust is in two minds, she shakes her head, but continues looking around the room, reading scriptures and trying to come to a decision.

Cloak: "Islam speaks of Judgement Day."

Wasp: "It's different for Jews."

Dagger: "It's similar for Christians."

Cloak: "The Day of Judgement doesn't come around at the hands of a mutant, am I right? That's fair right?"

Dust looks at him.

Cloak: "So trust in your God. He put you down here for a reason, this very reason, to wake Nur. He has to wake and he has to wake because of you. God needs you to wake him."

Dust pauses to think.

Wasp: "Dust, please? What direction does the sunlight need to come from?"

Dagger: "Please Dust?"

Cloak: "Dust?"

/

We fade to seeing the destruction and bodies left down and hurt at the wedding venue. The only thing left standing and upright is the wedding cake.


	18. Episode 18

EPISODE 18:

In the tomb with the mummified body of En Sabah Nur, we see Cloak, Dagger, The Wasp and Dust.

Dust: "No. This is a test. The Qur'an doesn't say how the Day of Judgement will come. If all you see is darkness then perhaps that's a good thing. The Day of Judgement should be welcomed by the righteous. I will not wake Nur. It may be that all is going exactly how the Almighty intended."

Dagger: "And what if it's not? What if you get to your Judgement Day and you stand before God and he asks you why you didn't wake Nur, what will you say? He'll tell you that he gave you the opportunity to be the reason he woke. Think about it Dust; God put you here at this very moment for this exact reason. None of us can read what's written on these walls. None of us would have been able to wake him without the correct instructions. Please? Stand before God on your Judgement Day and tell him that you helped wake Nur because you believe in him. You believe in Allah so much that you did do the righteous thing; a spectacular thing; to wake En Sabah Nur for the prosperity and balance of your world."

Wasp: "Consider this too Dust; what Wanda did when she took away mutant powers was an unnatural occurrence. Without that, none of us would be here trying to wake Nur today. It's come to this because Nur is needed. God needs you to wake him."

/

We watch as a jet lands right by the wedding venue. James Rhodes opens the main ramp to allow people in. There are a number of medics with him and Happy is there too. They go to Tony Stark right away.

Rhodey: "Jesus."

Tony: "Oh he ain't here."

Happy: "Are you alright?"

Tony: "I'll live. Sue didn't."

Rhodey: "Shit."

Natasha stumbles over; "Not proud to say I feel I could've done more in this one."

Natasha blatantly holds back from sobbing as she sees medics cover Sue Storm with a white sheet. Captain America comes over carrying the body of an unconscious Johnny Storm.

Steve: "Blaming anybody isn't going to make anything better. Lets focus on regrouping."

Tony: "And then what?"

Steve: "Then we clean up whatever mess the X-Men leave behind."

Medics tend to Johnny as Captain America carries him into the jet. Thing trudges along and gets in. Beast tells Rhodey of Ororo, T'challa and Reed Richards.

Beast: "They were put in a sleep state by Cloak and Dagger I believe. They're fine, but please check their vitals. And try to easily break the news of what's happened here. This was Storm and Black Panther's wedding day. They're going to be devastated."

Happy wipes a tear and shakes his head as he watches Sue's body being carried onto the jet. BAMPF, Nightcrawler arrives with Hulk and Wolverine. Logan lets out a roar of anguish as he sees what's happened to Susan Storm. He goes over to Tony who's stood by the medics that are helping Angel. He tries to get close to Angel, but Stark does his best to hold him off.

Wolverine: "I wanna see him."

Tony: "Later."

The two shove one another as Logan becomes angry. SNIKT!

Tony: "You wanna do that, go ahead. He's getting medical attention, that's what he needs."

Wolverine puts his claws away: "He's a good man."

Tony: "I know, we're very close."

Wolverine: "You ain't stickin' around are ya?"

Tony: "Not right now."

Rhodey walks over; "And neither should you. Cloak and Dagger are already at the tomb. If they do what they plan to then this carnage is only gonna get worse. There'll undoubtedly be more casualties."

Cyclops walks over: "But if they were successful in waking him then we would have known about it already. I haven't had communication with Shadowcat since Juggernaut broke into the entrance of the tomb. I'm hoping that she's down there stalling Cloak and Dagger for as long as she can."

Iron Man: "Well whatever happens, this is all on you Cyc'."

Cyclops: "People get hurt all the time. In our line of work we get used to it and we pick ourselves up."

Iron Man: "Sure. Unless you're dead."

Iron Man looks like he's going to confront Cyclops closer up, but Wolverine stands in his way.

Wolverine: "You wanna take your problem up with me bub? Like you've never had people hurt in any of your missions huh?"

Rhodey puts a hand on Tony's shoulder and gets him to back down; "Come on Tony. We all carry the burden of loss. Together."

Rhodes and Stark head to the jet, following the medics that carry Angel off on a stretcher. We see Thing sat by Sue's body. He's devastated. His eyes closed and his head down.

/

We see Spider-Man arrive at the broken Black Panther Complex. He joins Quake, Luke Cage and Colossus in the fight against a number of Goons. Then he finds Gambit by Jubilee.

Spider-Man: "She unconscious?"

Gambit: "Yeah and bleeding from her head."

Spider-Man: "We can't move her, but help's on it's way. Have you seen MJ?"

Gambit: "Not personally homme, but Kitty might have. She's inside somewhere."

Spider-Man leaves Gambit and leaps into the crumbling Complex.

/

Dust walks around the room eyeballing Cloak and Dagger and then Wasp.

Dust: "What is your stake in this?"

Wasp: "I'm trying to get my family back. I don't know if Wanda can do it, but it's worth a try. That's why I need to talk to her. To see if I can have my life again."

Dust: "Your family died after D-Day?"

Wasp: "Yeah."

Dust: "Because of D-Day?"

Wasp: "Yeah."

Cloak: "Dust. Please?"

Dust looks at the writing on the wall and then swirls some sand and gravel to imprint on the wall some further inscriptions.

Dagger: "What's that? What have you written?"

Dust: "Today's date. The next awakening of En Sabah Nur."

/

At the security office we see Emma Frost on the screen of Cyclops' phone as her conversation with the tied up Erik Lehnsherr continues.

Erik: "Why would I lie?"

Emma: "'cause it's in your DNA!"

Erik: "You don't think that of Wanda. She's never been called a liar."

Emma: "Probably 'cause the whole lying part of your gene pool went to Pietro and Wanda got only the good parts of you."

Erik: "So you admit there is good in me. Good intention."

Emma: "Charles saw it didn't he? So often his argument for not killing you was that you had decency in you and that you and he were friends."

Erik: "Ah, so there's the real Emma Frost, the one that wants to kill me."

Emma: "You're a waste of air. People like you do nothing except promote fear. You manipulate people into thinking you're helping them and then as long as you get what you want you don't give a damn what happens to anybody. That's why Wanda said those words, no more mutants. Because you gave mutants such a bad name."

Erik: "And humans are peacekeepers in the world? The notion that all humans are basically good. Horse shit."

Emma: "I still don't understand. Why would Cooper give you access to such destructive weapons?"

Erik: "I don't know, but that's the deal we cut. You don't believe me, that's your problem."

Emma: "It doesn't make sense Erik. She was the one that got my team out of there when your team broke Juggernaut out of prison. You're telling me she knew about it?"

Erik: "Yes. Having Cain out and on my team was my call and my stipulation. The weapons were backup to any plan and she provided them."

Emma: "But why? Why would she do that? She's playing all three sides."

Erik: "Three sides? What are you talking about? It's nice to hear that you believe me now. That's refreshing."

/

Back in the tomb we see Dust reading aloud the translation of what it says on the walls.

Dust: "The light has to hit En Sabah Nur directly on the eyes. It has to come exactly from the Kaaba."

Dagger: "Where's that?"

Wasp: "Mecca, Saudi Arabia."

Dust: "The instructions are very specific. The direction has to be precise in order to wake him."

Cloak: "Do you think it's always taken a Muslim to wake Nur?"

Dust: "You don't have to be Muslim to read what's on these walls. But perhaps one of the previous times Apocalypse woke he tore into the world. Maybe that was one of the first times Muslims were branded terrorists. See that there?"

Cloak looks at the inscription on the wall.

Dust translates: "9/11 2001. Conspiracy theorists, no black boxes on either of the planes. They were there, but they were crushed. It was Nur. He sent those planes into those buildings."

Dagger: "No shit?! What about Bin Laden?"

Dust: "There are no details of him here. But perhaps it was a test. Nur thought he was bringing balance to the world by getting the world to unite."

Wasp: "Against Muslims?"

Dust: "Against terrorism. That was the test. Could the world move on after 9/11 with the unified front against terrorism and see that it can come from any colour, any belief, any race."

Cloak: "But then why would Nur have done it so that Muslims were the ones to blame?"

Dust: "Because we can take it. We understand the concept of paths, so with our belief in God our test was to continue as normal. Continue as innocents. Those that strayed into actual acts of terrorism thereafter were unbelievers. Over time, the real problem in America was revealed to be guns on the streets and in schools. The real problem in the world; Government bodies."

Wasp: "So how often does Nur get woken? If it was as recently as 9/11 then wouldn't the X-Men have known about it back then? Charles Xavier would have felt his presence right?"

Dust: "I don't know. It says nothing of Xavier here."

Cloak: "Maybe that was the same time the X-Men were dealing with Jean."

Dagger: "Jean Grey turned Phoenix at the same kind of time as 9/11? Holy shit."

/

We cut to a clip showing the Avengers' jet getting set to leave. Quicksilver zings onto the scene. Iron Man, Captain America, Cyclops, Beast, Wolverine and Nightcrawler all put their guards up, but Quicksilver is carrying the body of an unconscious Mystique.

Cyclops: "Get the hell out of here Pietro."

Nightcrawler: "Scott, please."

Kurt walks over to Quicksilver and takes over from carrying Raven.

Quicksilver: "I know we're not on the same side alright, but Xavier was fond of her once and it's Kurt's mom, so if anyone can help her you guys can."

Cyclops nods at Nightcrawler who BAMPF, disappears and we hear a BAMPF again as he settles Mystique with the medics on the jet.

Iron Man: "Wow wow wow, we can't just let her on the jet. She's dangerous."

Quicksilver: "She's knocked out man."

Tony marches onto the jet.

Captain America: "Tony, the fight's over here."

Iron Man: "I'm just gonna restrain her and make sure she's not carrying weapons. Can I do that at least?"

Wolverine gives Captain America a look.

Cyclops to Quicksilver: "You said you'd been down to the tomb?"

Quicksilver: "Yeah. Freaky place."

Cyclops: "There are tunnels?"

Quicksilver: "All of different lengths spiralling in different directions. Daredevil's in one of'm and Black Panther's mom is too."

Beast: "Did you see Kitty?"

Quicksilver: "I did. She's fine. Got Cain stuck in the ground then went down one of the tunnels."

BAMPF, Nightcrawler reappears; "Who else is hurt at the Complex?"

Quicksilver: "Tons of Doom's soldiers. Luke Cage and Colossus have gone off on them, I mean really beat the shit out of'm you know."

Cyclops: "Gambit? Jubilee?"

Quicksilver: "Jubilee was down last I saw."

BAMPF, Nightcrawler disappears. Moments later BAMPF, he's back; "We need the medics there, it's too dangerous to move her."

Cyclops: "We have your father Pietro. Mystique's down and Doom's nowhere to be seen. It's over."

Quicksilver: "Yeah you'd think so given that you guys won the fight. But we had Cloak and Dagger on our side."

Nightcrawler; "The fight's over. Toad and Avalanche have fled."

Cyclops: "Alright lets head over there." Cyclops tries to address Quicksilver, but he's gone.

Wolverine: "Fucker."

Captain America: "Damn it. We should've grabbed him while we could."

Cyclops: "He'll be running everywhere to try find his dad. Kurt, take Beast and make sure Magneto doesn't get away. Cap' can we take the jet to the Complex? We need to get medics to Jubilee. There may be hurt Wakanda'ns there too."

Captain America: "Of course."

BAMPF, Nightcrawler and Beast are out of there as the rest of the group board the jet.

Iron Man: "Hey, it's my jet! Do I not get a say in any of this?"

Wolverine: "You fuckin' talk too much bub."

/

We fade to a clip showing The Wasp in her shrunken state. She's drilling a hole through the ground heading diagonally upward through to the daylight above En Sabah Nur's tomb. The beam of light clearly hit's Nur's eyes and there's a rumbling of the ground. The Wasp stays miniature and hides within the cracks in the walls surrounding Nur. We watch as Nur's body is given life and he sits up. As he does he releases a natural boom of energy that flings Cloak, Dagger and Dust into the walls. The Wasp survives any hurt because she's in her shrunken state. Cloak, Dagger and Dust are knocked out and on the floor. All is quiet as Nur takes in his first breath. We see The Wasp within the cracks of the walls. She looks like she's about to get set to return to regular size, but stops as she sees a woman walk out from one of the tunnels. It's Ramonda.

Ramonda: "En Sabah Nur?"

Nur looks at her without a word. She begins talking at him.

/

That natural boom of energy caused the ground to shake more than either of Avalanche or Quake's previous battles did and it even disrupted the atmosphere in the air as Stark's jet is hit with turbulence before landing outside of what's left of the Black Panther Complex. Quake leads medics to where Wakanda'ns are as Gambit lets a couple of them take over the care of Jubilee. Captain America states that it may take two or three trips to get everyone out of there.

Gambit: "Black Panther would have his own ships here somewhere. They're probably cloaked. You guys could maybe settle and make sure the injured parties get the attention they need."

We watch as we see Shuri exit the Complex with a crowd of Wakanda'ns. Spider-Man is there too, with a safe Mary-Jane. Shuri marches over to the gathering of Captain America, Iron Man, Cyclops and Gambit. Wolverine is slightly off the picture, having a smoke. Spider-Man takes MJ onto the jet.

Shuri: "We must get down to whatever is beneath the pyramid. My mother is missing, that's the only place she could be."

Iron Man: "You're sure about that? Toad, Avalanche, they couldn't have taken her?"

Luke Cage and Colossus join the group.

Cage: "Not a chance. Those two got on Gambit's bike and they were gone. The only ass holes left are Juggernaut, Blob and Doom. I assume you took care of the latter?"

Captain America: "Negative on that. Well, Blob's hurt, but Doom took his leave."

Colossus: "Where is Kitty?"

Shuri: "She might be down there with my mother."

Colossus: "Then we must move at once."

Cyclops: "Hold on guys, we need a plan in place here. If we go down to Nur's tomb like an army he'll be defensive and might kill us all."

Captain America: "Agreed. Tony, get Friday to work out the best strategy for us here?"

Iron Man: "You heard him Friday."

Happy walks down the ramp of the jet as conversations continue. He approaches Tony.

Happy: "I take it we're not leaving?"

Iron Man: "Looks like Cap' and I will stay. You guys go. People need proper medical attention."

Happy: "Shall I get Thing?"

Tony shakes his head: "No. His head's out of the game. Keep me updated on Angel would you? And Natasha too."

Shuri is talking to Cyclops; "I must get down there!"

Cyclops: "We have to wait. Look, the best you can do in the meantime is help your people. You have ships?"

Shuri: "Yes. They are cloaked by the security office."

Cyclops: "As Gambit expected, alright good. Take whoever's healthy and go get'm. The sooner everyone can get out of here the better. We don't want any more collateral damage."

Bruce Banner walks over; "Hey Cyc'. Rough day huh?"

Cyclops: "You have no idea."

We see Luke Cage joining Wolverine for a smoke. As the camera pans around the scene we notice that Colossus is gone.

/

BAMPF, Nightcrawler and Beast arrive at the security office.

Cyclops in Beast's ear: "Get the Wakanda'n guards to start up those cloaked ships Hank. We need'm over here."

Beast: "Copy." Beast instructs the Wakanda'n guards to do as Scott said. He greets Emma on the mobile phone and then addresses Nightcrawler; "Get Erik onto one of those ships and make sure he's restrained. I will take him to Cairo and hand him over to the authorities. He's still wanted for breaking Juggernaut out of prison so I'm sure we can get Valerie Cooper to ensure he pays for that crime."

Emma: "Not a crime Hank."

Erik: "Not at all."

Erik sits there with a smug expression on his face. Beast thumps him and knocks him out.

Nightcrawler: "Krass! Finally somebody shuts him up."

Hank picks up the phone to address Emma as BAMPF, Nightcrawler disappears with Erik.

Emma: "It's not good news Hank."

/

In Nur's tomb we hear Ramonda's voice. She's constantly talking at him. He looks around the room seeing Dust, Cloak and Dagger on the ground. He sees the inscription on the wall created by Dust, declaring by who and how he was woken.

Ramonda keeps talking; "You're not welcome here. An abomination, you must put yourself back to sleep, whatever it takes. My son's wedding is today. I will not stand for this. You will not demolish this world. You will not tarnish the name and the standing of the Wakanda'n people or of -"

Nur puts his thumb and his index finger together as if he's pinching thin air. Ramonda's neck caves in and she hits the floor, dead. The Wasp stays miniature within the cracks, but she's frozen, stunned by Nur's power.


	19. Episode 19

EPISODE 19:

We see Ramonda's body drop to the floor after having been killed where she stood by En Sabah Nur. The Wasp is miniature and within cracks in the walls. She has her hand over her mouth shocked at what she has seen. She removes her hand and takes a deep breath. She looks as if she's about to confront Nur, but then she notices sand and gravel travel along the floor. It forms into Dust and she's by the body of Ramonda on the floor.

Dust: "No! What have I done?"

Nur sits there without a word as Dust checks Ramonda's pulse, but she knows it's too late.

Dust yells: "What did you do?! Why? This woman was defenceless!"

We see Daredevil step out from one of the tunnels.

Daredevil: "She annoyed him."

Dust: "Annoyed him? Annoyed him!?"

Daredevil: "I heard his heartrate before arriving here. It was frantic when he woke and then became erratic, as if he was warding off a huge headache. Ramonda kept talking at him and so he's killed her. His heartrate is calm now. He's weighing us up."

Dust: "You seem calm. Nur woke because of me. Cloak, Dagger? Ya'Allah."

Dust goes over to check on them.

"They're fine."

Dust looks over her shoulder as Nur gets himself off the platform and stands up for the first time in years. Daredevil stands quietly.

"You were the one that woke me. You knew what to do and you have read what is written on these walls. Salaamalaikum."

Dust looks over at Ramonda as she stands up, wiping a tear from her eye. There's a pause as Dust doesn't respond.

Daredevil: "Wallaikumsalaam."

Nur turns his attention to Daredevil. "You are not a mutant, nor a mere mortal. Not Muslim either." Nur winces as if he's been struck with a migraine. "Where are the mutants?"

Daredevil: "No, I'm not a mutant. My name is Matt Murdock. I'm a Lawyer by day. I protect a community within my city called Hell's Kitchen. I am here as a guest to the wedding of Storm and Black Panther."

Nur looks around the room. As we zoom into Daredevil we can see that he is sensing The Wasp's heartbeat as well as everyone else in the room, minus Ramonda.

"Murdock. You seem unafraid."

Daredevil: "Fear is often my ally. Others are scared of me, not vice versa."

"Why is that?"

Daredevil: "My crimson suit. My devil persona. It's probably mostly because people have something to hide and I can sense when they're being untruthful."

"But you're not evil?"

Daredevil: "No. Far from it. I try to help people."

"The bad people?"

Daredevil: "No. I protect good people from bad people."

"But people have something to hide?"

Daredevil: "Most do, yeah, sadly."

"As a Lawyer, you will endeavour to prosecute me for this murder?"

Daredevil: "No. I don't know. That'll be up to the X-Men."

"X-Men. Led by Charles Xavier?"

Dust pipes up: "Not nowerdays. No one knows where Charles is. I've never met him."

Nur looks directly at her: "Dust. Where are the mutants?"

/

BAMPF, Nightcrawler emerges by Cyclops: "Beast has taken Erik." Nightcrawler gives Scott his phone back. "Emma said to call her right away. She and Beast agreed not to take Erik to the Cairo police."

Cyclops: "Oh really? Why not? You know what it'll have to wait. Is Beast in the air and out of reach from Quicksilver?"

Nightcrawler nods.

Cyclops: "Then that's a win for us for now."

Scott puts his phone in his pocket as we see ships emerge and we watch as Wakanda'n wedding guests board them, including a number of families with young children.

Captain America: "Thank God none of them got hurt. They didn't sign up for this."

Iron Man: "Well the X-Men knew what we were getting into. There wasn't a need for civilians to be here though was there?"

Cyclops: "You know what Stark, you like to play the hero, but don't pretend people don't get hurt on your missions alright? We've been over this."

Iron Man: "Yeah well, I'm stating the painstakingly obvious that those Wakanda'ns and the other guests without power would not have come to this wedding if they knew it was going to be a warzone."

Cyclops: "That wasn't my decision to make. I didn't exactly hand out the wedding invitations."

Iron Man: "No, but I'm pretty sure Storm did and by default before being bride to Black Panther she was an X-Man right? So remind me who's responsible for all this; the X-Men right?"

Cyclops: "You've got some fuckin' nerve."

Wolverine steps onto the scene: "Hey! Both of you wanna shut the fuck up?! Givin' me a goddamn headache. Weren't you supposed to have a plan, Avenger? Why don't you work on that and get us back in the game bub huh? Fuckin' arguing is getting us nowhere."

Captain America shakes his head as Iron Man addresses Friday.

Luke Cage acknowledges Cap's headshake. Under his breath he says: "Sweet Christmas."

Captain America: "Hey, where did Colossus go?"

/

We watch as Colossus lands by Juggernaut, who's still stuck in the ground with only an arm and his head sticking out.

Juggernaut: "Hey, give me a hand?"

Colossus: "Da. The fight is over. I can destroy this ground and set you free. First tell me which way Shawdowcat went?"

Juggernaut points: "Down that tunnel."

Colossus begins walking toward the tunnel: "Thank you. If you are right I will free you when I return."

Juggernaut: "Aw man, seriously?"

Colossus keeps walking in hopes of finding Kitty.

/

"198. That's all that were left."

Dust: "Officially, yes. There were others, but they didn't identify themselves and went into hiding."

"Mutants need to have a bigger presence in the world. I will need followers, by my side to assist me in achieving what Allah has intended."

Dust: "To murder people? Look at what you did here."

"Have I hurt you? Have I hurt your friends? You barely know this woman."

Daredevil: "Far from the point Nur. Killing is not something we do, it's not what makes the world a better place."

"A man of peace is the man of truth."

Daredevil: "Something like that."

"You will help me."

Daredevil stays quiet as the scene is interrupted by the swift emergence of Quicksilver. He stops in his tracks right by Nur.

Quicksilver: "Holy shit you're a big dude when you're stood up."

Dust: "He's killed T'challa's mother."

Quicksilver: "Cloak, Dagger?"

"They're fine. Unconscious."

Quicksilver: "Fuck. Ok. Ok Mister Nur here's how it is. My sister wiped mutants from the planet. Not wiped'm. Er, they're alive, but she took all their powers and most of the world became normal humans, there were only a few mutants left. I'm glad you're awake, I advocated for your awakening, Sir. I just er, I'd like for you to locate my sister and get her to restore everyone's powers. That's all."

"That's all."

Quicksilver: "That's all Sir. Please."

"You are nervous."

Daredevil: "That's because he's afraid of you."

"Why?"

Dust: "Because he can see a dead body on the floor. En Sabah Nur, you have murdered this woman and you feel no remorse. That is not the way of Allah."

"It is. Her path was written to stop exactly where she fell. She is with the Almighty now."

Dust: "That wasn't for you to decide!"

"Yet you decided to wake me having read what's on these walls. You know that I am responsible for re-aligning this planet if things are out of place. I did no disservice to Ramonda. She is in the right place now."

Dust shakes her head as she looks at Daredevil. "Why aren't you angry about this?"

Daredevil: "Because he's not lying. He is a master of his own convictions, and he's telling the truth. Ramonda is in a better place."

Quicksilver: "Will you help Sir? By finding Wanda we can get her to switch everything back to the way it was. To get mutants their powers back. There were millions in the world and then -"

"- Yes, I know. I have been told what happened. I know where your sister is. I will take you to her, if you join me on one of these." Nur waves his hand toward one of the walls and out of it emerges a horse with wings. Nur waves his hand another two times and two more mythical horses appear.

Quicksilver: "Er, what do you mean join you?"

"To find your sister, to get her back in your life, join me. In return I will remove that silver streak."

Quicksilver: "But wait is this some kinda trick? When we find Wanda will she be safe? You won't hurt her right?"

"I won't hurt her."

Quicksilver: "But, I don't understand, what do you need me for?"

"I have allies to aid me whenever I am present. In return for aiding me you get a gift. Yours would be to have your silver streak removed. Matthew Murdock's would be to give him back his eyesight, without deteriorating his Daredevil senses."

Daredevil: "You want me?"

"Yes."

Daredevil: "Is there a reason?"

"You are a vessel of truth. Where I cannot determine whether a person is good or bad, you can. You will be a great aid to my quest. You have a very important role to play."

/

We watch as people board ships that are set to take them back to Wakanda. We see Gambit and Quake join a circle where Iron Man is doing most of the talking.

Iron Man: "This is the best way Friday's laid out the plan."

Iron Man continues with his instructions as Cyclops, Wolverine, Captain America, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Nightcrawler, Gambit, Quake, Hulk and Shuri all listen.

Iron Man: "Shuri what are you doing here? You were supposed to have flown to safety."

Shuri: "I won't leave here without my mother. She must be in those tunnels. You won't force me away Mr. Stark."

Iron Man: "Oh, so polite. Listen I appreciate your respect, but respectfully to you; you are not a warrior, nor hero, nor do you have powers and knowing your brother I'm sure as hell that he wouldn't want you anywhere near En Sabah Nur."

Captain America: "He's right Shuri. I promise you I'll be looking for your mother as my first priority. It won't be safe for you down there."

Quake: "Come on girl you said it yourself, the hero life's not for you. We'll find your mom."

Shuri: "Fuck sake." Shuri storms off and away from the gathering.

/

We fade to seeing Beast on a ship flying with Wakanda'n guards and having Erik Lehnsherr tied up as a prisoner. Beast sits opposite Erik and he is reading a book on his mobile device. In Beast's earpiece we hear Leo Fitz.

Fitz: "Most of the other ships are out of Cairo. Only a couple left behind for the X-Men and co to get out of there when all is said and done."

Beast: "Thanks Fitz. I know you were reluctant to get involved in this mission."

Fitz: "The call of duty got me."

Beast: "You won't emerge and join us at the mansion when all this is over? You'd be a welcome asset to our team."

Fitz: "Your genius far surpasses mine my friend. Besides, I'm not a mutant."

Beast closes his reading app and continues talking to Fitz: "Who said you have to be?"

Fitz: "You hear stories. I know for example Cloak and Dagger never felt a part of your team. Even Wolverine, he feels more like a Government experiment gone wrong than he does a mutant. The guy carries being a mutant like a burden when deep down he would rather have never been a mutant at all. Sad really."

Beast: "Logan's always been complex. One doesn't envy everything he's been through. But you must remember that we were led by Charles. The most compassionate man certainly that I ever knew." Hank looks at Erik, knowing full well that he's listening. "I'd hope there isn't a phobia or misconsumption about how welcoming the X-Men can be."

Fitz: "When you were led by Charles, sure, I'd have considered joining you then. It would have been an honour actually. But you're not led by Professor X anymore are you Beast?"

Beast looks down.

Fitz: "Are you ok?"

Beast: "It's hit me how much we have lost today. Do you understand that Erik? Did you know Doctor Doom was out to kill Sue?"

Erik looks at him without a response.

Beast stands up and barks in his face: "Answer me!"

In Beast's ear Fitz quietly says: "Be calm Hank. There's nothing we can do to get Sue back. Erik's getting a rise out of you, that's exactly what makes him happy. Calm my friend."

Beast sits back down taking deep heavy breaths. There's a pause.

Erik: "You've always been so gentle Hank. I do admire that."

Beast: "What do you get out of this huh? To hurt people; Sue, Jubilee even Mystique."

Erik: "I had question time with Emma and I'm done with it quite frankly. Besides, I would like to know where you are taking me."

Beast: "As if you deserve answers."

Fitz: "Be calm Hank."

Beast reopens his reading app on his device and begins to read quietly to himself.

Erik under his breath: "So gentle."

/

Colossus is walking at a pace down one of the tunnels that lead to Nur's tomb. He has his phone out and is shining a light from it. Eventually he sees a body on the floor, one he recognises right away.

Colossus: "Kitty!" He gets down on his knees and tends to her. Her left sleeve is torn away from her dress making it so the left side of her shoulder and chest are bare. "Kitty, are you alright?"

Shadowcat wakes up: "Oh Pete. I couldn't go further. I hurt my leg up top when Juggernaut broke through. I wrapped up my wound and stopped for a rest. I must have fallen asleep."

Colossus: "You're hurt Kitty, come, I will take you." He proceeds to lift her.

Shadowcat: "No Pete, wait. Wait."

She looks at him through the shining light from his phone that bounces off his metal form. She puts a hand to his face and they both lean in. They kiss, slowly, but we can barely see through the shadows. From the shadows created on the wall of the tunnel we can see Kitty's hand pulling at Piotr's belt and loosening it. We hear a tare of material as Kitty rips off the other sleeve to her dress and then slips her top down to reveal her breasts.

Kitty: "I missed you Pete."

Piotr: "oh Kitty."

/

"Mutant prosperity. It has to be the case that mutants are prominent. 198, less than a thousand, whatever the number, there needs to be a world full of them. You can trust that we will find your sister and give the world back it's mutants."

Quicksilver: "But I would be devoting myself to you and your cause. All you want is mutant prosperity? Nothing else?"

"Balance, the way Allah intends it. It is up to me to enforce it. By my side you will enforce it too. You will be a legend."

Dust: "Every Prophet has his followers."

"Why so sceptical? You were the one that woke me, for this reason correct?"

Dust: "For the reason that you help bring mutants back, not so you can kill people."

"Dust. You are invited to be a horseman too."

Dust: "What? No. Why? I can't trust you."

"Perhaps not. But you can trust my purpose. And once my purpose has been fulfilled you can trust that I will go back to sleep. I need to be able to trust one of my horsemen to put me back to rest until a day when I shall rise again. Join me and the gift I give you is my word; I will go back to sleep."

Dust looks at Daredevil.

Daredevil: "He's not lying."

Dust pauses as we see Quicksilver mount a flying horse. As he does we see Nur wave a hand and Pietro feels a sense of release.

Quicksilver: "Wow, what was that?"

"Your streak is gone. Now, when you run you will be completely undetected."

Quicksilver: "I feel lighter, as if I could run even faster."

"Maybe you can."

Daredevil walks toward a horse.

"You can have your sight again, as soon as you get on."

Daredevil: "I won't be going back to my day job will I?"

"Not while I am here. But Franklin Nelson, his loved ones. They will be safe."

Daredevil gets on a flying horse. From his point of view we see Nur wave his hand. Matthew Murdock has his sight back. He's smiling.

"And you?" Nur says, addressing Dust.

Dust: "No. I can't. I have been included in the X-Men. I never should have woken you without their counsel."

"So I am your responsibility. Why don't you embrace that. Join me. Keep me in line with the way of the world and how it is today. Do a duty to Allah where you tell me right from wrong."

Dust: "You're serious? You just killed this woman and now you want for me to be your conscience?"

"Are you afraid because you feel you are an unpure soul?"

Dust: "No."

"The sins you have committed, have you repented?"

Dust: "In my own way, yes."

"But you still commit them. Intercourse out of wedlock."

Dust: "Well -"

"- It's not Pietro's nor Matthew's business to listen now and to judge you. You don't have to answer to me or them. But you have the opportunity to atone for your sins Sooraya. What you did when you woke me was ensure that the world continued by the grace of Allah. A great debt the world owes you for that. So see this through. Wanda Maximoff, restoring mutants. Once the world is as it should be I will return to my sleep. I give you the gift of my word."

We are close-up on Daredevil. From his hearing we listen to the sounds a man and woman making love. _"My Kitty…" … "Oh Pete."_

Daredevil: "We don't have much time. The X-Men will be coming soon."

"Get on the horse Sooraya. We will leave in peace and go on to promote it."

Dust looks at Quicksilver and then at Daredevil. She goes over to the third horse and all of a sudden another horse emerges from the wall. Sooraya mounts the third horse and takes control of the bridle from the fourth horse.

Daredevil hears the running footsteps of X-Men and Avengers: "We must move now."

En Sabah Nur whispers something and creates a portal. He opens his palm and directs his new followers to go through the portal and to the other side. As they do Nur follows them, but before stepping through the portal he addresses the listening ear in the room.

"Wanda Maximoff will be at the X-Mansion after mutants have been restored. There you can have your revenge."

En Sabah Nur walks through the portal and it closes. We see The Wasp. She returns to regular size and as she does we see Cloak and Dagger waking up. She tends to them, but then they hear a number of people coming down through two of the tunnels. Captain America and Iron Man emerge from one of them. Wolverine and Cyclops emerge from another. Cyclops tries to engage with Cloak and Dagger, but before anything can be said Cloak disappears along with Dagger and The Wasp.

Wolverine: "We're too late."

Captain America sees Ramonda on the floor: "Oh no."


	20. Episode 20

EPISODE 20:

En Sabah Nur, Dust, Daredevil and Quicksilver exit Nur's portal. They arrive in an abandoned place. Nur walks forward as his horsemen remain on their horses. Dust holding the bridle of the fourth unmanned horse.

"I know you are here, Wanda. I feel your presence. If you would show yourself, I would like to speak with you."

There's nothing after Nur's invitation. No emergence of Wanda Maximoff and nothing from anyone else in the abandoned town. Daredevil steps off his horse.

He says: "Wanda. We know of one another. I know you to be a person of heart and I hope you know me as a person of truth. Nobody is here to cause you harm, I promise you. Please, show yourself."

Still nothing. Dust steps off her horse.

She says: "Wanda. My name is Sooraya Qadir. Very recently you may have noticed that the X-Men came here, to this worn and torn town, on this island of Genosha. Wolverine picked up a scent here. Now I realise it was you. I was an X-Man Wanda. I may still be." She looks at Nur, but he doesn't respond. She continues: "Be assured, we mean only to talk with you. A grave matter is at hand."

Still, zero response.

/

Cloak, Dagger and The Wasp appear in Cloak and Dagger's hotel room in Cairo.

The Wasp: "Why did you do that? I didn't need to be taken outta there!"

Dagger: "You were there Janet. You heard and saw everything that happened once Nur woke."

The Wasp: "Yeah and I was fine. I woulda shrunk, hitched a ride with the X-Men and found wherever the hell Apocalypse was going."

Dagger: "No you wouldn't, if Wolverine wouldn't have smelt you on their jet then Emma would have sensed you at the X-Mansion. You're safer with us and we'll be going to find Nur too. Right Ty'?"

Cloak: "Think think, I don't know, we need to think about our next move. But we need to know what happened. Who was on the floor Janet? Who got hurt?"

The Wasp: "It was a woman. Finely dressed from the wedding. Unfortunately I think it was the groom's mom."

Cloak: "Ramonda? Oh my God."

Dagger: "Ty' no, no don't do that."

The Wasp: "She was standing her ground, babbling at Nur, telling him that he had no place in the world and how she knew he'd only bring destruction. She kept on and on and without even touching her he killed her. Snapped her neck as easy as breaking a toothpick."

Tyrone shakes his head and looks upset: "What have we done?"

Dagger: "No Ty'. We need to stay focussed. We didn't kill anyone ok?"

Cloak: "We did! We asked Dust and Wasp to wake him. The first thing he does is take a life. Oh God, we've messed up Tandy."

Dagger: "We fuckin' haven't Ty', get a grip alright? Janet, what happened with Dust, where is she?"

The Wasp: "Nur convinced her to align with him. Something about how he's promised her that he'll go back to sleep as soon as the world is in balance again. Quicksilver and Daredevil aligned with him too. Wanda came up in conversation and I think the understanding is that when Wanda gives mutants their powers back, Nur will go back to sleep."

Dagger: "Really? He made it that simple?"

Cloak: "He made it _sound_ that simple. Daredevil went with him? Out of choice?"

The Wasp: "Yeah. Thing is Dust wasn't easily swayed, but it was Daredevil who played a part of convincing her. He said that Nur was telling the truth."

Cloak: "Fuck. And Matt wasn't bothered that Nur murdered Ramonda?"

The Wasp: "He was, but Nur said that it was her time, that it was written for her life to end there. Some religious nonsense."

Dagger: "So where did they go?"

The Wasp: "I have no idea."

/

We fade in to see a clip of Colossus carrying Shadowcat out of the tunnels and past Juggernaut. Colossus jumps to ground level and takes Shadowcat toward a ship. Cyclops, Wolverine, Captain America and Iron Man all exit the tunnels too. Cap' and Wolverine jump up to ground level. Iron Man gives Cyclops a lift.

Cyclops: "Thanks. I need to call Emma. Everything that's happened here has to be documented. Excuse me."

Wolverine lights up a cigar. We see Shuri running toward him, Captain America and Iron Man.

Shuri: "Well? What happened, did you find Nur? Did you find my mother?"

Steve Rogers puts his hand on her shoulder and guides her to walk and talk in private.

Wolverine: "Shit show."

Iron Man: "Tell me about it. Who's Emma gonna call? Cooper?"

Wolverine: "I don't know. I tag along for the fights, don't ask me about the politics."

Iron Man: "Well if I'm right then they'll have a squad here in no time. I'll get Friday to get some of my drones out here, capture visuals of the scenes. Keep it as evidence."

Wolverine: "You ever thought of becoming a cop? If your suits were in on it you'd give the term Robocop a whole new meaning."

We pan over to Steve and Shuri right in time for Shuri to fall to her feet and sob. She bursts into tears.

Steve: "I'm sorry Shuri, I'm so sorry."

Shuri: "First Sue and now my mother. My mother? What did she ever do? She never hurt anyone!"

Steve puts his arms around Shuri to console her.

Steve: "I don't know how it happened or why. I'm so sorry Shuri."

Shuri: "Where is she, why didn't you bring her out with you?"

Steve: "It's a crime scene. There's evidence down there and before we can move her body there has to be a forensic team to do their business. I'm sorry."

Shuri sobs: "But that's my mother!"

Steve: "I'm sorry Shuri, I really am. We will get her outta there and back to Wakanda in no time I promise. I'll see to it personally I give you my word."

Shuri can't stop crying.

/

We fade to a clip of Beast delivering Erik Lehnsherr to a holding establishment in Wakanda. Erik is locked up.

We watch as a number of other ships arrive in Wakanda. Wakanda'n wedding-goers exit those ships and head to various destinations whether it be their homes, the hospital or elsewhere. We see The Thing with Reed Richards in a medical bay. They are at the bedside of Johnny Storm. Reed can't stop his tears. T'challa is in the bay too. He steps out of it and into the hall. Beast is there. T'challa looks at him.

Beast: "T'challa, I…"

T'challa walks off, completely ignoring him. From a couple of bays down we see Ororo pop her head from out of the curtain.

Ororo: "Hank?"

Beast goes to her bay and embraces her.

Hank: "Oh Storm. God, I'm so glad you're alright."

Ororo sits on her bed, as does Hank. She has a tear fall down her face. Several as they talk.

Ororo: "T'challa's not been to see me. I don't know what's happened Hank."

Hank: "I'm sorry Storm. Your wedding, it was completely ruined."

Ororo: "Why Hank, why is my husband not talking to me?"

Ororo looks at her hand. No ring on her finger.

Ororo: "He's not my husband."

Hank: "The wedding didn't get that far."

Ororo: "Why was I passed out for so long? A blast? Am I concussed?"

Hank: "No. Yours, Reed's and T'challa's vitals are all fine. It was Cloak and Dagger that put you all to sleep. I hope because they were trying to protect you."

Ororo: "But what happened Hank?"

Hank: "There was a big fight. What you need to know is that Doctor Doom killed Sue Storm. She was trying to protect yours, Reed's and T'challa's bodies. Johnny and Thing tried protecting her, but were unsuccessful. As soon as Doom got the chance, he killed her."

Ororo: "But why? Why kill the person he loves? Why leave the rest of us alive?"

Hank: "I'm assuming he did that so we suffer."

Ororo wipes her tears. Hanks passes her a tissue.

Ororo: "Doctor Doom. I thought we only expected Magneto and his Brotherhood?"

Hank: "He brought Doom."

All of a sudden we hear a loud cry from a man down the hall. Storm jumps off her bed and goes running.

Storm: "T'challa."

Beast walks out after her and as he does he gets a message on his phone from Emma Frost. It tells him what's happening in Egypt. He reads that Ramonda was found dead at the hands of En Sabah Nur. Beast shakes his head in sadness.

We pan further down the hall where T'challa is on his knees, tears flowing from his eyes. Ororo arrives and slides to her knees before him. She puts her arms around him.

Ororo: "T'challa, T'challa, my King, what is it? What has happened?"

T'challa screams: "You! You have happened! Get her away from me."

Wakanda'n guards come to grab an arm each of Ororo and pull her away from T'challa.

Ororo in devastated tears: "T'challa no. What has happened, please tell me? We can get through it my husband, please?"

T'challa can barely utter the words: "My mother is dead."

Beast arrives on the scene. He gets the Wakanda'n guards to back off and unhand Ororo, embracing her himself to hold her back from T'challa who's remained in tears on his knees.

Ororo: "T'challa, please T'challa."

Storm scraps to try and get away from Beast, but he's too strong and doesn't let her go.

Ororo: "Let me go. Let me go, Hank please. Let me hold him, let me hold him."

Beast lets her go, but the guards then go to stop her. Beast stands in their way intimidating them all and they freeze, too scared to continue. Ororo is down on her knees and her tears stream like tap-water. She puts her arms around T'challa's shoulders and holds his head to her heart.

Ororo: "My King I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

T'challa can't say his words properly. We can just about make out that he says: "Take your hands off me." He stands up abruptly. Storm in tears on the floor. She reaches out to hold his hand, but he swiftly pulls it out of reach. We see Reed Richards run down the hall and we hear the giant thudding footsteps of Thing too. Reed gets to T'challa and embraces him, hugging him tight.

Reed: "I'm sorry my friend."

T'challa: "Me too."

Thing and Beast help Ororo to her feet.

In the hug T'challa tells Reed: "The X-Men are not welcome here."

Reed releases the hug and T'challa walks away from the scene, tears rolling down his face.

Ororo shouts after him: "T'challa, where are you going? Please I -"

Reed: "- I think it's best you leave."

Ororo: "Reed? He is my King."

Thing: "Come on Reed, this wasn't her fault."

Reed: "He is King of Wakanda and he has ordered that you leave. Please just go. Don't make this harder for all of us."

Thing gives Beast a regretful look as he steps away from Ororo. Beast holds her as her tears and sobs continue to burst out. Reed and Thing walk away. Storm doesn't stop crying as we hear thunder and lightning strike outside. Her emotions causing chaos in the skies above. Beasts hold her tight, but she doesn't stop crying.

/

In Genosha we see Quicksilver having ran around the whole island arrive back by En Sabah Nur.

Quicksilver: "I checked everywhere. I couldn't see her."

"Then perhaps she needs another means of motivation to show herself."

Apocalypse grabs Quicksilver by his throat and lifts him into the air.

Dust: "What the hell are you doing?"

Daredevil puts his arm across Dust to stop her from confronting Nur.

"Is the life of your brother enough of a sacrifice, that you don't show yourself to preserve your hiding? I promised him that he gets to see you, but if you are not here then perhaps his promise gets fulfilled in the afterlife."

We see a red scarf go along the floor right before Nur. He tightens his grip around Quicksilver's neck. The ground rumbles and cracks. From it emerges a woman. Scarlet Witch floats out from the giant crevice and darts straight for Nur. A punch lands square on his face and throws him back thirty yards as he's forced to drop Quicksilver.

Dust: "Ya'Allah."

Scarlet Witch fires hexes at Apocalypse, but Dust moves the sand and gravel on the ground to provide a wall, a shield for Nur.

Daredevil: "Wanda, it's Matt. Please, calm down."

In mid-air she looks at Daredevil: "Matt?"

While distracted Nur commands that Dust lower the shield and he leaps to thump Wanda out of the sky. She lands with a thud and a slide across the ground. Quicksilver runs to her.

Pietro: "Sis', sis', holy shit are you alright?"

Wanda is groggy: "Pietro. Run around the girl. Confuse her and make her dizzy. That'll bring down the wall."

Pietro: "No no, Wanda you don't understand."

Nur, Dust and Daredevil walk over. Wanda sees them and is about to put her guard up, but Quicksilver guides her arm down.

Pietro: "Please sis'. Hear us out."

Wanda gets up: "Us? Us? This being just tried to kill you."

"If I was trying I would have succeeded."

Wanda: "Is that supposed to reassure me?"

Pietro: "Wanda please? He was just tryin' to get your attention. It worked right?"

Wanda: "You're always messed up in something bad. I can't trust you Pietro."

Matt: "But you can trust me. A moment of your time Wanda, is all we ask."

Wanda: "Matt what is going on? Are you, wait, you're looking right at me."

Murdock smiles: "I can see. I became a horseman and I serve Apocalypse. In exchange he gifted my sight back to me."

Wanda: "And made you blind otherwise. This is Apocalypse. Nothing good is going to come of him being awake, and you're working for him? There's something seriously wrong here."

Sooraya: "Please. I was an X-Man. I know the potential consequences of waking En Sabah Nur. But he has a purpose every time he wakes. By finding you, his purpose is almost complete."

Wanda: "I don't know you."

Pietro: "But you know me sis'."

Wanda: "Quiet Pietro." Wanda looks at Nur and maintains eye contact for a while. She looks at Pietro. "You're not dead. At least that's something." She looks at Nur again. Then to Sooraya: "What did you mean by _almost complete_?"

Dust tries to respond, but Nur interrupts.

"I will explain everything, if you will listen."

Wanda shakes her head as she sees the fourth horse. "I am not joining you. That's off the table so don't even try it."

"Didn't expect you to."

Matt backs off to give Nur and Wanda some space. Sooraya follows him. Pietro hugs Wanda.

Pietro: "I'm so glad you're alive. And you're ok, but how the fuck do you live out here? I checked and there's nothing here, like, at all."

Wanda: "Underground. I love you Pietro. I'm glad you're ok."

Pietro: "Right back atcha. Look hear him out ok? It's real important." He hugs her again, before going to join Matt and Sooraya.

There's a stare-down between Apocalypse and Scarlet Witch.

/

We watch as helicopters land by what's left of the Black Panther Complex right by the pyramid of Khufu. Soldiers exit those helicopters and they go to apprehend Juggernaut who's remained stuck in the ground thanks to Shadowcat. BAMPF, Nightcrawler appears with Gambit right above where the soldiers are putting weights and chains around Juggernaut. Spider-Man swings onto the scene.

Nightcrawler: "Es tut mir Leid mein freund."

Gambit puts his hands on his head.

Spider-Man: "No luck huh?"

Gambit: "She's not down in the tunnels."

Spider-Man: "I swung everywhere to take a look, even as far as the security office. I didn't see her man."

Gambit: "Thanks for helping. You too Kurt."

Kurt: "Are you alright?"

Remy looks around, not answering.

Luke Cage comes onto the scene: "Peter, you're going to Wakanda to collect MJ, you mind if I tag along? Figure I'd go wit' you guys back to New York."

Peter: "Yeah sure. Are all these guys from the Government?" He says, looking around at all the soldiers.

Cage: "I'm sure they are, but which Government I don't exactly know. They could be from an Agency? Summers will know more about politics than I would, if you wanna ask him."

Peter: "Oh no. Juggernaut's going back to prison, that's good enough for me." To Remy: "Sorry again man. I hope she turns up."

Peter and Luke walk off.

Kurt: "We are due to leave here too Remy."

Remy: "Yeah I know."

Both of them slowly walk toward a ship.

/

Dagger: "Apocalypse being awake is what we wanted. They're on a mission to restore mutant powers, so we did our jobs. We won."

Cloak: "We didn't win, not with so many people hurt. And fatalities Tandy, it's not ok that Ramonda died."

Dagger: "It's not, but what can we do about it?"

The Wasp: "Look you two have your issues and I have my own. I need to get outta here."

Dagger: "What are you going to do?"

The Wasp: "I need to find Wanda. I need to find some kind of trail to Apocalypse and talk to Wanda. Assuming he's found her."

Cloak: "You won't be safe."

Dagger: "He's right. We'll come with you."

Cloak: "No we won't. We've done our part."

Dagger: "Oh come on Ty', we have to see this through. What if Quicksilver can't convince Wanda to give everyone their powers back? We can tell her about the darkness we see. It might be what tips her in our favour, the world's favour."

Tyrone shakes his head and doesn't seem too fond of the idea.

The Wasp: "I don't need you two. It was nice working with ya, but I'm outta here alright."

Cloak: "Ok wait. We'll do this together. But we have to make peace first."

Dagger: "Don't you think finding Wanda is more important?"

Cloak: "Not right now. We have to apologise to Black Panther and his people."

Dagger: "You are nuts. They won't let us into Wakanda after our alignment with Erik. They'll fuckin' throw us in jail. Seriously Ty', we don't have time for your conscience right now."

Cloak: "Well we have to say something to someone. They all think we're the bad guys. We have to explain ourselves."

The Wasp: "Then go to the X-Men. Make whatever peace with them. You were with them before so now the least they'll do is hear you out right? And through them you can send your condolences to Black Panther because he's with Storm."

Dagger: "That's not a bad idea. And the X-Men will want to find Apocalypse too so maybe we can work together in the end. That is if they don't turn us over to the police."

The Wasp: "Go to the X-Mansion. Emma Frost is currently there and she pretty much leads the X-Men with Scott Summers right? And they surely can't make arrests in the US for stuff that happened in Egypt?"

Dagger: "No. Of course not. But it's not like we're the ones that killed Wanda. Apocalypse fuckin' did. Come on Ty'. This is our best move. Lets go see the X-Men. We'll go to the mansion and try get them to see our side of the story."

Tyrone nods.

/

We see Wolverine in a ship sat beside Shadowcat who's asleep. Colossus walks over to him and passes him a bottle of water.

Wolverine: "Thanks."

Colossus: "Thanks to you. You didn't come down the same tunnel as Kitty and I. I doubt that was by chance."

Colossus sits by Wolverine and opens his own bottle of water.

Wolverine: "You're right there bub. Sex is a scent that gets my nose hairs right away."

Colossus: "You're not angry?"

Wolverine: "It's your business. But sex during a fight ain't exactly something that's taught in the Danger Room. You both coulda been killed. I would've expected it from the Cajun, but not from you."

Colossus: "I understand. All I want is for Kitty's safety and happiness. I don't know if it means we are together again. I think maybe I should -"

Wolverine: "- Pete, I don't care. It's your private lives. I'm just glad she's ok. Maybe next time get her safe first and then do the hanky panky."

BAMPF, Wolverine and Colossus look over to see Gambit and Nightcrawler arrive on their ship. Nightcrawler pats Gambit on the back before walking off. Daisy Johnson approaches. She hugs Gambit.

Daisy: "Sorry, about er…"

Remy: "I don't think she's dead. She's too smart to die you know?"

Daisy: "Sometimes people get caught off guard."

Remy nods: "You're staying in Egypt?"

Daisy: "For now, yeah. Don't know what I'll do after that, but I have private gigs for minor crimes so I'll be fine."

Remy: "Freelancing," he kisses her on the cheek, "good for you."

Daisy: "Yeah. Scott's got my details, in case there's a need for Quake in the quest to stop Apocalypse."

Remy: "You don't wanna come back with us?"

Daisy: "No. Not the best idea."

Remy nods.

Daisy half hugs him again: "Take care of yourself alright?"

Remy nods: "You too."

Daisy walks down the ramp of the ship.

Remy: "See you around, Quake."

The ramp lifts moments after she gets off.

We pan around the ship to see various familiar faces; a hurt Jubilee, Wolverine, a sleeping and wounded Shadowcat, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Gambit and Cyclops. Zooming out of this ship and into another we see Spider-Man, Luke Cage, a number of Wakanda'ns and an unconscious handcuffed Mystique. Over on Tony Stark's jet we see Iron Man, Happy, Bruce Banner, an injured Black Widow and a badly injured Angel. Most of the ships, including the helicopters taking away Juggernaut and Blob, elevate to take off and leave Egypt. We see one ship remaining along with one helicopter. Shuri and Steve Rogers await for the CSI to do their thing as they anticipate the retrieval of Ramonda's body.


	21. Episode 21

EPISODE 21:

We see Erik Lehnsherr behind an electrically generated wall within a holding cell in Wakanda. There are two guards beyond the electric wall.

/

We fade to the body of Raven in a medical bay, also in Wakanda. She's being checked on by medical staff. As the nurse leaves the bay we see Raven's eyes flicker.

/

Emma Frost, Scott Summers, Remy LeBeau and Logan are in the kitchen at the X-Mansion. They're mid-conversation as Jubilee enters.

Scott: "Hey Jubilee. How are you doing?"

Jubilee: "Still a little bruised, but I'm alright. Is there any er, brunch?"

Scott: "Help yourself. Blame Logan if we're outta pancakes."

Jubilee goes over to the cupboard to grab a plate and glass. "Where's Kitty?"

Remy: "She and Piotr went for a stroll."

Jubilee: "Those two are back on track huh?"

Remy: "Don't know. But events like Egypt can lead to people to see things in a different light."

Jubilee sees the sadness on Gambit's face. The doorbell rings.

Scott: "Who could that be?"

Emma: "Not people we wanna see."

Logan sniffs the air: "Definitely fuckin' not. Get your guards up. I may shed blood here."

Jubilee: "Ew, I'm trying to eat."

Emma: "Relax Logan, they're not here to fight."

Remy goes to answer the door. The X-Men in the kitchen wait. Logan is snarling and trying to hold back his growls. Remy leads Tyrone, Tandy and Janet into the kitchen. Remy sits back on his stool. Scott dabs his mouth with a napkin.

Scott: "So. Care to explain yourselves?"

/

We see The Thing march down a hallway and then knock on a door. He pushes it open and reveals T'challa laying on his bed with his back to the view of Thing.

Thing: "Hey er, you want anything to eat? It's almost dinner."

T'challa doesn't answer. He doesn't move. Thing exits the room, closing the door behind him. He walks to another door and enters. Reed Richards is sat on his bed with a tablet in his hand. A tear rolls down his cheek.

Thing: "Reed."

Reed looks up.

Thing: "You ok?"

Reed doesn't say yes or no. He turns the tablet to show Thing that he's looking at wedding photos of him and Sue. Thing walks over to take a look. Reed swipes through a few, trying to contain his tears.

Reed: "I was lucky. She has beauty and intellect in equal measure. No wonder Doom was obsessed with her."

Thing: "There's nothing you could've done pal."

Reed: "There wasn't? But could Cloak and Dagger have done something? After putting me, T'challa and Ororo to sleep, couldn't Cloak have done the same to Sue? Then transported us somewhere safe?"

Thing: "Safety wasn't their priority."

Reed nods toward the next room: "How's he doing?"

Thing: "I don't know. He's not eating. Neither are you. I can get us some pizza."

Reed: "Johnny?"

Thing: "I don't know where he's gone. He left on his crutches hours ago. But bud, you're the leader here. I know it's hard, but you gotta lead by example."

Reed: "I know." Reed looks sad.

Thing: "Cap's gonna come to see you and T'challa. I talked to Pepper and she needs to talk to you about Sue's funeral arrangements. You gonna be ok with that or shall I get Johnny to talk to her?"

Reed: "I don't know. No, I, I will talk to her. Need to thank her and Tony too for getting Sue's body over here. I don't know how to be Ben. I feel like I've lost everything."

Thing: "You lost your everything. Sue was a remarkable woman and this ain't gonna be easy to get over. But you haven't lost everything else that's not Sue. You understand? Johnny and I are still here. And you bet your ass we'll make Doom pay."

Reed: "Yeah?"

Thing: "Hell yeah."

Reed nods as he closes the picture file on his tablet.

/

In Wakanda we see Shuri with a number of servants. Okoye leads the instructions as we see them moving the body of Ramonda.

We hear the voice of Steve Rogers: "They don't need anything else from your mom's body. You're free to do the funeral, however you do it over there. Do you want me to gather everyone to pay their respects?"

Shuri addresses her earpiece: "No. Our funerals are private affairs. But my brother needs to be here."

Steve: "Gotcha. He's with the Fantastic F -"

Shuri: "- They don't exist anymore."

Steve: "Right. Well, I'll go talk to Reed and see if I can get T'challa to come home. Is there a time frame?"

Shuri: "There are rituals to be done. It'll be in a few days. Just get T'challa here as soon as possible."

Steve: "On it Shuri. I'm sorry as hell for what happened to your mom."

Shuri: "Same. Er, thank you, for getting my mother back to us as you promised."

Steve: "Of course."

/

Back at lunchtime at the X-Mansion, Logan barks: "You should've come to us first!"

Tandy: "Us? Us? There is no us and there was no you! You weren't here when Ty' and I couldn't see a future. It was Emma, Scott and Beast, that's it. How were they going to help us?"

Scott: "So you took the high road, joining forces with Erik, Raven and numerous other _criminals_. How could you?"

Tyrone: "Look we had no choice. You think it was easy for us? Even if we did come to you first you wouldn't have listened. The idea of waking Apocalypse would have been a complete no-go. We knew that. We did what we had to in order for everyone to have a future."

Emma: "What does that even mean Tyrone? Just 'cause you saw black that meant that there was nothing?"

Tandy: "Right, it meant there was no hope, no light. We'd never had that before and it only happened once D-Day happened."

Logan: "So that was your plan; wake Apocalypse and bank on him finding Wanda so that she could restore mutant powers." He shouts: "Such a dumb fuckin' idea, do you know how many lives were at stake? How many people got hurt, killed and now Apocalypse is out there guaranteeing that whenever he sees fit he'll fuckin' put a reckoning on the entire planet!"

Janet calmly says: "He's doing what they wanted."

Logan takes a breath: "What?"

Janet: "Apocalypse. He's finding Wanda. In fact he opened a portal and said to his horsemen that he'll take them to Wanda there and then. They're all probably with Wanda right now."

Scott: "Wait, they, who's they?"

Janet: "Matt, Pietro and Dust."

Remy: "Dust? My Dust is with him?"

Janet: "Yeah."

Remy, agitated: "You coulda led with that! I thought she was dead!"

Janet: "Sorry."

Emma: "There are normally four horsemen. I read a ton of Charles' notes on Apocalypse while you guys were out there. Supposedly the destruction he tends to bring is justified because he's supposedly a messenger of God. A being that rights the world's wrongs."

Logan: "You bought that shit?"

Emma: "Honestly, I don't know."

Remy: "Why would Dust go with him? This doesn't make sense. She only just joined de X-Men."

Scott: "Matt's a more intriguing question."

Janet: "I don't know. But they're not under any wizardry or spell. He simply asked them to join and they all agreed."

Emma: "What, there's some kind of honour in being a horseman?"

Janet: "I don't know."

Remy looks upset and steps off his stool. He walks out of the kitchen and down the hall.

Scott: "What's your role in all this Hope?"

Janet: "It's Janet. I took my mother's name after she died."

Scott: "Right, Janet. You were saying?"

Janet: "I aligned with Raven more than I did with anyone else. It wasn't out of any other objective than to get to talk to Wanda."

Emma: "Why?"

Janet: "When Scott and my dad died, they did so because of humans that were former mutants. I wanted to find Wanda and talk to her to ask if she could use her powers to identify who murdered them. All I know is that it was more than one person involved in their gang. But they were former mutants. They were jealous that Ant-Man was a thing and they took the lives of those dearest to me. I want to find them and bring them to justice. Working with the bad guys in this scenario was the only way I could find Wanda."

Logan: "I still can't get my head around this; Matt went with Apocalypse? Matt Murdock?"

Janet nods.

/

The sun is setting as we see Steve Rogers approach Reed Richards' house. Reed answers the door.

Reed: "Johnny?"

Steve stands there.

Reed: "I thought you were Johnny, sorry."

Steve: "Hi Reed. May I come in?"

Reed waves him in: "Yeah, of course, sorry."

Steve steps in and Reed closes the door, leading Steve to the living room.

Reed: "Please, sit."

Steve sits on a couch: "I can't imagine what you're going through Reed. I can't tell you how sorry I am about what happened to Sue."

Reed: "It's not something I'll get over any time soon. She was my wife, you know?"

Steve nods: "I want you to know you're not alone here. When you're ready I'd like you and Thing to come to our base. We'll do everything we can to find Doctor Doom."

Reed: "Not Johnny?"

Steve: "He's a livewire even at his happiest. With respect, he'd only jeopardise our mission. We'd have to babysit him and we can't do that when combating Doom."

We hear Thing's thuds as he steps into the living room.

Thing: "Johnny might not be able to fly anyway. His injuries are bad. He can't walk so he won't be able to fight."

Steve gets up to shake Thing's hand.

Thing: "Hey."

Steve: "Hey. Then the sooner we find Doom the better. The longer Johnny has to heal the more likely it'll be that he joins us."

Reed nods.

Steve: "Where's T'challa?"

/

Over in Wakanda we see Raven laying in her medical bay. She opens her eyes. She wakes to find that she is handcuffed to both rails on her bed. She squirms and winces signifying that her head is throbbing in pain. She looks at the handcuffs and then transforms both her arms into the Hulk's – the cuffs burst open right away. She moves herself to the edge of the bed and proceeds to get off of it. She's clearly in pain, holding her abdomen and wincing because of her possible concussion. She transforms into the attendee that was in the room with her previously, and she exits the medical bay.

/

Conversations continue in the kitchen as we see Janet walking down the hall of the X-Mansion. The front door is open. She goes to it and sees that Remy is sat on the step. She goes to him.

Janet: "Hey."

Remy acknowledges her presence by slightly scooting over so she could sit. She makes herself comfortable.

Janet: "You done with all this?"

Remy doesn't say anything.

Janet: "They're talking about Erik, the deaths, a woman named Valerie Cooper. All kinds of shit that I don't care about."

Remy: "Yeah, me neither."

Janet: "Do you think it'll happen? Wanda will give everyone their powers back?"

Remy: "Don't know."

Janet: "What's the matter?"

Remy: "That girl, Dust. She is er, was, ergh, I don't even know."

Janet: "She was your?..."

Remy: "Girlfriend. We'd been together about six months. I think. Turns out she's sided with him."

Janet nods.

Remy: "What did he say to her? You watched and heard the whole thing right?"

Janet: "I don't know what to tell ya. Apocalypse woke up because of her instructions to me. The sunlight had to break through and hit his eyes at a certain angle. Wrong angle and it wouldn't work. When he woke he caused a huge tremor."

Remy: "Felt that."

Janet: "Yeah. Along with the tremor he floored Dust, Cloak and Dagger."

Remy: "But not you?"

Janet: "No. I was shrunk so I stayed that way and hid within a crack in the walls. Black Panther's mom came along and he killed her. Then Dust woke up, Daredevil showed up and then Pietro. Before long they were on winged horses all going through the portal."

Remy: "But what did he say? How did he make Dust go with him?"

Janet: "He said something about how he serves a higher purpose. I guess they all bought into it. A lot of what was written on the walls down there was in Arabic, so Dust translated a lot for Cloak, Dagger and myself before Nur woke. There was stuff on the walls about supposed natural disasters and even terrorist attacks. It wasn't humans or mutants involved or responsible, it was Nur. He was responsible for so much bad that happened. But Dust, you know it's not like she went alone. Quicksilver and Daredevil went with him too. They must've trusted Nur I guess."

Remy shakes his head: "If it was to find Wanda I kinda get it, but if it's to serve him then I don't know how to comprehend this world anymore. It's too messed up."

Janet: "That's putting it lightly."

Remy: "You've had a tough time too."

Janet: "I seek justice. It's all I've wanted all these months. I think if I get that then I'll have some closure you know?"

Remy: "I understand."

Janet gradually puts an arm around Remy's shoulder. He looks at her. His eyes blink slowly. Janet leans in a little. Their lips touch slightly and then they ease into one another. The kiss is audible. Remy unlocks it and swiftly stands up.

Remy: "No disrespect. Sorry. I don't know what to do. Dust is. Dust _was_ my girlfriend. I love her."

Janet nods and reaches out her hand. Remy helps her to her feet and she puts a hand on his chest.

Janet: "I don't expect anything. Got carried away there."

Remy: "Yeah."

Janet steps back inside the door and into the X-Mansion. Remy exhales, clearly checking her out as she leaves his sight.

/

At Reed's house we watch as Steve enters T'challa's room. Steve looks toward the bed, but he's not there. The doors to the balcony are open. Steve goes to them and finds T'challa. He walks out to stand beside him, slowly.

Steve: "Is there anything I can do? Anything you want?"

T'challa stands without a word.

Steve: "Your er, sister is wanting to hear from you. Shall I tell her that you'll be home for the funeral?"

Still nothing from T'challa.

Steve sets to walk off. He gets to the balcony door.

T'challa: "I gained strength from the presence of my mother in my life. She was the foundation of everything I stood for. What I want Captain, is vengeance."

Steve steps back onto the balcony toward him.

Steve: "That's gonna be a tough thing to do on your own. The first person you might want by your side is Ororo."

T'challa: "No. She has no place beside me."

Steve: "Buddy, it wasn't her fault."

T'challa: "No. It was mutants. It was all their fault."

Steve pauses before speaking again: "The Avengers are going to help Reed. We'll bring Doctor Doom to justice."

T'challa: "And Apocalypse?"

Steve: "We're not sure about that yet."

T'challa darts a stabbing look at him.

Steve: "The X-Men have taken the responsibility to handle him. We will join the fight if they need us. But until they do the Avengers will form a plan to make sure we can send him back to where he came from."

T'challa: "No. Preserving Apocalypse for a future problem is not the answer. He must pay, with his life."

/

Erik Lehnsherr is in his cell in Wakanda. He's looking around his square block. He sees through the electrical wall that there's a control panel right by one of the guards, who has his back to the electric wall. The guard has a metal spear in his grasp. There is another guard with his back to the electric wall, also with a spear. Erik looks at their spears and we see them move. The Wakanda'ns speak in their language, but before they can make sense of what's happening we see both spears launch into the fellow guards, through no fault of their own. Erik is in his element all of a sudden as the guard by the control panel has a spear gone through his torso, pinning him to the control panel. The wall is deactivated as the control panel bursts into an electrical fire. Erik levitates and moves himself forward and out of his cell.

"I'm back."


	22. Episode 22

EPISODE 22:

We hear alarms go off and see a random face look around concerned at why those alarms are sounding. By the way this person is holding her abdomen we realise that it's Mystique. She has Wakanda'n guards pass her as the alarms continue.

/

We see boots walking along a hallway and we zoom out to reveal that the boots belong to Magneto. He is causing destruction as he walks; either side of him he causes metal to break off the walls and tie up Wakanda'n guards. Magneto is clearly walking to somewhere specific.

/

At the X-Mansion we see Scott Summers, Emma Frost, Logan and Jubilee mid-conversation with Cloak and Dagger. Janet walks into the kitchen. The tone from all parties is angry and argumentative until;

Jubilee: "Do you guys want something to eat?"

Emma: "Jubilee!"

Jubilee: "What? With everything that's happened they probably haven't had a chance to eat. They're our friends."

Janet: "I wouldn't mind."

We see Beast enter the kitchen.

Hank: "Friends, that may have caused the world a tragedy."

Scott addresses him: "Hank? What's going on?"

Hank walks over to the kitchen counter and picks up the remote control to the monitor. He puts on the news.

Newscaster: "It is apparent that mutants are re-emerging all over the country and our reports say; all over the world. Is this anything to do with Wanda Maximoff? Has she returned from wherever she had gone? With more of an update we can pass it to our colleague who's with Valerie Cooper."

Reporter: "Miss Cooper, what do you make of the mutants re-emerging? Is this Wanda Maximoff's doing?"

Valerie: "At this time we're not going to comment on speculation until we have some cold hard facts. What I can tell you is that there was a mutant related incident in Egypt only a couple of days ago. We will investigate whether that had anything to do with events that are unfolding today."

Reporter: "Do you expect the mutant uprising to be a problem for the world?"

Valerie: "I can't comment on that. Right now we have our own investigating to do, if you'll excuse me."

Emma: "Turn it off Hank."

Beast turns off the screen.

Scott: "Investigate? Speculation? As if she doesn't know what happened in Egypt, she was the one that gave Erik the weapons!"

Logan: "Sounds like we need answers from her as much as we need to catch Apocalypse bub."

Tandy: "But if mutants are back then Nur may have gone back to sleep. That was the deal."

Hank: "Define _deal_?"

Tyrone: "Before Nur woke Dust was translating the writing on the walls. She said that Nur goes back into hibernation whenever his purpose is complete."

Janet, eating a bagel: "But we don't know if his purpose is complete. What if getting mutants their powers back was a favour he was doing for Pietro. I mean the guy's not smart, but he is Magneto's son. What if Pietro manipulated Nur into finding Wanda and restoring mutant powers. In return Pietro becomes a horseman and does whatever Apocalypse wants."

Emma: "I wouldn't have thought Pietro thinks that far ahead, but we can't rule it out. We do need to speak to bitch Valerie."

Scott: "How long you been waiting to say that?"

Emma: "I whisper it every time before saying her name. You know I don't trust her Scott."

Scott: "Right now neither do I. Alright, I'll go talk to her. In the meantime Hank if you could try get a read on wherever Nur might be? I'm sure there have been sightings all over the world. He's obviously not an easy guy to miss, neither are winged horses."

Hank: "Gotcha."

Emma: "I'm going with you."

Scott: "You don't need to -"

Emma: "- I do. And we'll check on Ororo on the way. Hank what hotel's she at? Jubilee make sure you and our friends clean this mess up after you're done."

Scott, Emma, Hank and Logan all exit the kitchen. As they do they see Remy down the hall who joins them as they walk.

Jubilee: "Ergh, always the one left to clean up."

Tandy, peeling a satsuma: "They still treat you like a kid 'cause you're the youngest?"

Jubilee: "I guess."

Janet: "What are the rest of us supposed to do? If mutants have their powers back then I need to find Wanda."

Tyrone: "We need to make sure Nur's not here for another reason."

Tandy: "Ty', we gotta check if we can see any light."

Tyrone: "Of course."

Cloak and Dagger approach one another as Jubilee and Janet watch. They hold one another's forearms and we fade to black. Cloak and Dagger are standing in a dark place, but they see tares of light streaking through as they look above themselves. But most of what they see is darkness. They release one another's arms and are back in the kitchen.

Jubilee: "So? What happened?"

Tandy's smiling: "There's light. We saw some light."

Tyrone: "Some, but it's unclear and doesn't lead to anything."

Tandy: "But we saw light, which is something. This is good Ty'. It means we did the right thing. Mutants are rediscovering themselves in the world. The light is there."

Tyrone: "I know, but nothing's clear Tandy. We need to make it so."

Janet: "How do you do that?"

Tyrone: "I don't know. I don't know where we go from here."

Jubilee: "Well maybe finding Wanda would be a start. We could help Janet do that. She must have some answers 'cause obviously Nur found her right?"

Janet: "Right, but what if Nur's taken Wanda as the fourth horseman? How are we supposed to deal with that? And you guys didn't know where Wanda was before, so how do we expect to find her now?"

We see Shadowcat and Colossus come to the patio door by the kitchen. They slide it open and enter, immediately getting into battle stances.

Shadowcat: "Jubilee what are they doing here?"

Tyrone holds his hands up as Colossus approaches, grabbing him by the throat. Tandy slips a dagger out from her palm and holds it to Colossus' neck.

Tandy: "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Jubilee: "Guys, please, Scott and Emma know they're here. They've explained themselves."

Tandy: "Ty', fade out of his grip."

Tyrone can't talk as Colossus' grip becomes tighter.

Colossus: "I have a nerve. Without access to use of it, he can't teleport."

Jubilee: "Guys, please!"

Shadowcat: "How can Scott and Emma let them in, and trust them?"

Janet: "No offence, but it's not like you're easy to trust either."

Shadowcat: "What's that supposed to mean?"

Janet: "You two were hooking up while there was shit going on. How can you be trusted to fight battles in the middle of your on and off romance?"

We see a playing card enter the room and it hits an empty coffee cup, exploding it over the counter. Gambit marches into the kitchen.

Gambit: "That's enough! Put him down Pete. We're on the same side."

Shadowcat: "Including Hope? Weren't you with Mystique in all this?"

Janet: "It's Janet! I took my mother's name!"

An argument ensues as Colossus drops Cloak.

Gambit shouts: "Quiet!"

The room calms.

Gambit: "Cloak and Dagger have no responsibility to us, so go if you wanna go. Janet, the same. We don't expect anything from anyone. We lost too much in Egypt and we won't drag anyone into our issues. Jubilee and I will clean up the kitchen. Will you two love birds go be loved up elsewhere. I can't deal with that right now."

Piotr takes Kitty's hand and they exit the kitchen. Cloak and Dagger ask Janet if she's going to join them, but she says that she'll stay and help clean up.

Janet: "I'll hang out here for now, if that's alright? I wanna know what Scott and Emma find out from Cooper."

Remy nods as Janet grabs a washcloth. Cloak and Dagger leave by way of teleportation.

/

The alarm continues to sound as Mystique changes from person to person, making her way to the aircraft hangar by the Black Panther Palace. As she gets there though she sees a ship floating by the hangar doors and instead of flying anywhere, it gets torn apart. Mystique is in shock as she sees the person floating in through those doors is none other than Magneto. Wakanda'n guards do all they can to stop him, but without hesitation or consideration, he flings them to the side and smashes them against the walls. Magneto floats himself toward the hangar's offices and further toward the Black Panther Palace. Mystique sees the hangar doors open and sees plenty of unmanned and unguarded ships, but she chooses to follow Magneto.

/

At Reed Richards' house it seems as if Reed is telling stories about Sue. He's sat talking to Steve Rogers and Thing. Johnny enters through the front door, hobbling on his crutches and as he comes in we see T'challa walk down the stairs.

Reed: "Hey Johnny. We were just talking about Sue."

Johnny stands there as Steve gets up to greet him.

Steve: "I'm sorry about your sister bud."

Johnny pretty much ignores Steve. He nods toward T'challa and addresses Reed.

Johnny: "We still babysittin' Reed?"

T'challa steps into the living area.

T'challa: "I had no control over what happened to Sue. I am deeply regretful for your loss."

Reed: "We all are. And it wasn't anybody's fault. None of it was. We all knew what we were getting into in Egypt."

Johnny: "But no one fuckin' expected Doom to be there right? I get that the X-Men wouldn't have seen him comin', but what about all your vibranium security tech? Or all of Tony Stark's Avengers bullshit? No one saw Doom coming?!"

Steve: "I'm sorry Johnny."

The argument begins to flare up, but then Steve gets a phone call.

Steve: "T'challa, it's for you."

T'challa: "If it's Storm I don't -"

Steve: "- It's Shuri."

Steve passes T'challa his phone.

T'challa: "Yes?"

Shuri: "T'challa, you have to get back here now!"

T'challa can hear the alarms in the background: "What is happening?"

Shuri: "It's Magneto, he's free and _he is Magneto_! He has his ability and he's causing chaos here. Two are dead and dozens injured. Come home T'challa."

T'challa: "Lock yourself safely Shuri. I'll be there as soon as I can."

T'challa hangs up.

Reed: "You gotta go?"

T'challa nods.

Steve: "We can help you. I'll call Tony."

T'challa: "No. No Avengers, no Fantastic Fo-, Three. And do not tell the X-Men. I will return home, alone. I lost sight of what is most important and that is my home and my people. Matters such as the fate of the world however are in your hands Captain, with the Avengers. Reed my friend, I will return for Sue's funeral."

Reed nods: "If you're sure. Thing and I can come with you? And the Avengers."

T'challa: "No. I will defend my home, in the name of my mother. I fear no man, nor Magneto."

/

We see Scott, Emma and Logan pull up outside a hotel.

Emma: "You sure you wanna go at her alone?"

Logan: "Yeah. We'll be fine. Come get me after you're done with Cooper."

Logan exits the car and Scott drives off with Emma. He enters the hotel and we fade to see him knocking at a door. Ororo opens it.

Logan: "Hey Storm."

/

We see Magneto causing destruction on either side of his path as he floats toward T'challa's throne within the Black Panther Palace. Close by we see Shuri with Okoye as Magneto sits on the throne. The room is clear of any other people and there is a calm aside from the blaring alarm.

Okoye whispers: "No Shuri, we must get you to safety."

Shuri: "I can't do nothing. He's sitting on my brother's seat. I have to find out what he wants."

Reluctantly Okoye joins Shuri and they step out into the open to confront Magneto.

Shuri addresses him: "We are not carrying weapons."

Magneto sits there and waves his hand: "The alarms. Turn them off. I don't plan on escaping."

Shuri has a quiet word with Okoye. Okoye leaves her side and exits the throne room, but as she does she gets guards to go stand either side of Shuri. There is a pause as we wait. Eventually the alarms stop sounding. Magneto looks at Shuri.

Magneto: "Isn't that better?"

Shuri: "Why are you here? You escaped your cell. If you want to go, leave."

Magneto: "But I don't want to go."

Shuri: "Well you cannot have that throne. It belongs to the Black Panther."

Magneto: "I know. And that's who I'm waiting for. Until he gets here you can run along. I'm not interested in talking to the help."

Shuri: "Help? I am his sister."

Magneto: "Is that so?"

In an instant Magneto peels the metal off the ground beneath Shuri's feet and wraps her with a sheet of it and pins her to the far wall. She's stuck. The guards move toward Magneto and he simply waves a finger to make their weapons fling to either side of the room.

Magneto: "Ah ah, I wouldn't do that. Tell your guards to back off before they get hurt. Or before you do."

Shuri: "What are you doing? Why have you pinned me like this?" Shuri nods her head and her eyes guide the guards to leave the throne room. Okoye returns.

Okoye: "What is going on?"

Shuri: "Okoye, run, tell T'challa -"

Magneto wraps a sheet of metal to Shuri's mouth, stopping her from speaking.

Magneto: "Tell T'challa that I have his throne and I have his sister. Unless he wants for his sister to join his mother six feet under this week, I suggest he gets a move on to confronting me. All I want is a face to face. But don't test my patience."

Okoye leaves. Within seconds she's back again, but holding her abdomen.

Magneto: "Are you looking for trouble?"

_Okoye _transforms into Mystique's regular self.

Mystique: "No. I'm looking for a man they call Magneto."

Mystique is smiling as she approaches the throne. Magneto greets her and guides her to sit on the step. Shuri is helpless, pinned with metal to a wall.

/

Janet is with Remy in the living area, sat on a couch. They have the news on with reports telling of how mutants have re-emerged around the world.

Janet: "Who knew you were so bossy?"

Remy: "I raise my voice if I have to. It doesn't happen often."

Janet: "Do you think Scott and Emma will get anything out of that Cooper woman?"

Remy: "I don't know. She part works for the Government and part works for a mutant-friendly agency that tries to do what it can in terms of mutant rights. Hank would know more if you're really interested."

Janet puts a hand on Remy's leg. Remy puts his hand on her hand. They are quiet.

Janet: "You know I've lost a lot lately. After everything that happened in Egypt I kinda have a new appreciation for what's here and what's happening in the moment."

Remy: "We kinda already had a moment." He picks up her hand and moves it to her own thigh. "But that's all it was. I have a girlfriend I need to find."

Janet sighs: "If she's even out there. Who knows what happens to horsemen when Apocalypse goes into his sleep state. And if he's not in hibernation then where is he? And why is Dust still with him?"

Remy: "I don't know."

Janet: "Will you be able to trust her? Can you trust her?"

Remy: "I'll have to wait to find out I guess."

/

Scott and Emma are in a conference room waiting. Valerie Cooper enters.

Valerie: "Good afternoon. You really shouldn't turn up like this. I have a hell of a lot to do."

Emma: "You got a hell of a lot to explain!"

Scott: "She's right Val. What the heck is going on? We heard from Erik Lehnsherr himself that you gave him weapons? Rocket launchers?!"

Valerie: "We did."

Emma: "Why the fuck would you do that? And the Juggernaut prison break, you knew that was happening?"

Valerie: "We did."

Emma: "People coulda gotten hurt!"

Valerie: "We had contingencies in place for that, but we had to have Erik break Cain out so that it would like exactly as it did; the old Brotherhood reuniting."

Scott: "I don't understand."

Valerie: "To have Magneto and his crew as a guilty party. That was the aim. Whenever it would come back to haunt us in the media, that's where we'd say shit started; when Magneto broke Juggernaut out of prison. You guys were there trying to stop it. That's what the press would know."

Emma: "But why? Why did you let Erik do that and why did you provide rocket launchers?!"

Valerie: "Look, things aren't as black and white as you want them to be."

Emma: "I still don't hear an explanation. Mutants have always been seen in a bad light. To have you facilitating Juggernaut's prison break is one thing, but then to have the blame on mutants is completely something else."

Valerie: "I just said the X-Men would be seen as heroes."

Emma: "You're not listening. Erik used the rocket launchers for Juggernaut, but also took'm to Egypt and used them there too. I suppose you were responsible for his crew's safe travel there? To transport weapons overseas?"

Valerie: "I can't confirm nor deny that."

Emma: "You're still not explaining what the fuck is going on?"

Scott: "Val. We need to be in the loop about this. Did you know Erik was trying to wake En Sabah Nur?"

Valerie, hesitantly: "Yes."

Scott: "So why did you provide the weapons?"

There's a pause.

Emma: "Answer the fucking question!"

Scott: "Emma please. Careful."

Scott guides Emma to sit down.

Scott: "The baby can hear you yelling. Be calm."

Valerie sits, eyeballing Emma: "Look. Everybody knows about the serum, from MMM Global Sciences."

Scott: "Yes. Something else we're completely against."

Valerie: "Well, while it's been accepted by the U.N, my mutant division isn't convinced it's going to do any good. We don't trust it and when we've been asking for access into the labs at MMM, we've been denied entry. We want to verify their research and give the U.N. a second opinion."

Emma: "So? Shouldn't the countries of the world do that recon for themselves? How can they agree to the serum if they haven't done their research?"

Valerie: "That's something we don't quite know."

Scott: "Didn't Hank go and see Moira before? To get access to her labs?"

Emma: "They brushed shoulders and spoke in passing, but I don't think he was ever invited in. But what does this have to do with Erik?"

Valerie: "The concept of the serum is to supposedly give mutants another chance at life on earth, but to make it more controlled and less of a surprise when mutation occurred at adolescent age. By enabling Juggernaut's breakout and giving Erik weapons, it meant that there was an opportunity at restoring mutants around the world."

Scott: "So you figured this would mean that there's no further need for the serum."

Valerie: "Yes. Exactly."

Emma: "I don't get it. Moira is a trustworthy person and I'm guessing the U.N. done a fair amount of research before diving into this proposal."

Scott: "Val, when you and I last spoke you told me everything positive about the serum. You were on Moira's side and were happy that the Government was going for it."

Valerie: "Until we couldn't have access to MMM labs. My first priority, as much as you wouldn't believe it Emma, is for mutant prosperity. That accounts for health, wealth and everything else a normal human life strives for. So it also accounts for safety. I have no idea how safe the serum is. What happened with Erik was a way of making sure the serum had no way of hitting the streets."

Emma: "But that meant a war in Egypt and it meant people dying. It was fuckin' irresponsible and while you helped Erik, you didn't help us. You could have given us man power over there or at least warned us about who else was in Erik's crew."

Valerie: "As if he'd divulge that information. Erik Lehnsherr is a mastermind. He calculates and knows exactly what he's doing."

Scott: "Well he's a mutant now." He sighs. "Which inevitably gives us an even bigger problem on our hands."

/

Magneto is sat upon T'challa's throne and he talks to Mystique.

"Are you hurt?"

Mystique: "Throbbing headache. Gut aches a little."

Magneto bosses a Wakanda'n guard to go fetch some water and painkillers for Mystique.

Magneto: "Are you hungry?"

Mystique: "Wouldn't say no to some food."

Magneto bosses the guard further.

Mystique: "Thanks."

Magneto: "You'll be fine. I'll have my talk with this Black Panther character and then we'll be on our way."

Mystique: "Do you know what happened? If Pietro or anyone else escaped?"

Magneto: "I heard that Toad and Avalanche escaped. Not so much luck for Blob and Juggernaut. Both were taken in by U.S. forces."

Mystique: "Valerie Cooper?"

Magneto: "Probably. But I don't know whether she'd return Cain to where he was or whether she'd want to use him as bait in order to retrieve us."

Mystique: "D'you think that was her plan all along?"

Magneto: "It may have been, but it's irrelevant now. My daughter has obviously been found. I want to be reunited with her and I want for my family to be left alone. Cain nor anybody else is my problem."

Mystique: "Yet you request medication for me."

Magneto: "You are and always will be a friend Raven. The Brotherhood were merely acquaintances. Employees. I gave them a sense of belonging. Unless they find their way back to me, I have no need to search for them."

Mystique: "And if I was still in my medical bay, handcuffed to the rails, you'd have left me here?"

Magneto: "You're a friend. I would have done exactly as I am now; taking care of you."

/

There's a knock at the door of the X-Mansion. Jubilee answers it. Her eyes pop almost out of her head.

Jubilee: "Wanda! Oh my God!"

In the living room we see that Remy had fallen asleep on the couch. Janet transforms into her Wasp state and goes into hiding. Jubilee is holding Wanda's hand as she brings her into the living room.

Jubilee: "Remy! Remy wake up."

He slurps up his drool and clears his eyes to see Wanda. They embrace.

Wanda: "Hey Cajun."

Remy: "Mon dieu Wanda, you're here. Look she's really here."

Remy looks around and sees an empty room.

Wanda: "Who are you talking to?"

Remy: "Er, Janet, Janet Pym. She was here."

Wanda: "You mean Hope?"

Remy: "Yeah, but she changed her name to Janet. Jubilee did you see her leave?"

Jubilee: "I haven't seen her. I'm just glad Wanda's here!"

Jubilee embraces Wanda as we then see Kitty and Piotr come down the stairs.

Jubilee: "Guys look!"

Kitty runs into the living room to embrace Wanda and Piotr then also hugs her.

Kitty: "Holy shit, Wanda, where the hell have you been?"

Piotr: "Wait Kitty, she will get grilled enough in due time. Please Wanda have a seat. Some drink perhaps?"

Wanda: "Oh Pete, that would be great."

We see Janet in her Wasp state on a shelf above the fireplace. She watches as the X-Men embrace Wanda's homecoming. She looks frustrated.


	23. Episode 23

EPISODE 23:

We see Logan in Storm's hotel room. He's at a table and Ororo hands him his fourth beer. There's a knock at the door. Ororo answers and it's Emma and Scott. Ororo and Emma embrace as the former puts on a smile.

Ororo: "You are positively beginning to glow."

Emma: "You sure that's not my diamond form you're getting confused with?"

Scott: "Logan."

Logan gets up and takes his three other beer bottles to the trash can.

Logan: "Looks like this one's to go."

Ororo to Emma: "As I've already made clear, I'm not ready to come back to the mansion."

Emma: "There's a lot happening Storm and I understand you need a break from all the shit that's happened. But…-"

Scott: "- But Wanda's back."

Logan: "What?"

Scott: "She's showed up at the mansion."

Logan: "You're sure it's not Mystique or some hologram or some shit?"

Scott: "Gambit confirmed it's her."

Logan: "How? By the way her ass looks?"

Scott: "Well Kitty's there. She's smart enough to ask the right questions. We have to go."

Emma to Ororo: "Come with us. You don't have to bring your stuff. Come back here to sleep if you want, but a) you shouldn't be alone and b) we need you. Apocalypse is still out there and I'm sure you wanna know what Wanda has to say."

Ororo contemplates.

/

We watch as a portal opens into the throne room of the Black Panther Palace and through it steps En Sabah Nur. He's followed by three figures on winged horses; Dust, Quicksilver and Daredevil. Dust holds the bridle of a fourth unmanned horse. There is silence as Nur stands before Magneto. We see Shuri still pinned to a wall thanks to metal sheets wrapping her because of Magneto. Erik stands up, as does a tired Raven.

Erik: "En Sabah Nur, you've seen my daughter?"

Nur doesn't say anything.

Erik: "You obviously have otherwise you wouldn't have been able to get everyone their powers back. I suppose I owe you a debt of gratitude."

Still nothing from Nur.

Erik: "I'm guessing you're here for a reason. I hope that reason is to return my son to me. Pietro?"

Quicksilver unmounts his horse. He steps slightly in front of Nur.

Pietro: "I'm not here to return to you dad. We are here because En Sabah Nur requires a fourth horseman. And the person he wants is Mystique."

Erik looks at Raven. She steps forward.

"Join us. For prosperity and the betterment of the world. I will heal your wounds and you will serve me."

Nur's words send chills down Raven's spine. She looks at Erik as Dust and Daredevil unmount their horses.

Raven: "I have my allegiance pledged to Erik. I don't intend on throwing away my relationship with him."

Dust: "Is he someone you can trust?"

Daredevil: "No, he's not."

Dust: "Is he someone who will save you? Your Brotherhood."

Raven looks at Erik again, recalling his previous words where he claimed that members of his Brotherhood were merely acquaintances or employees. She looks at the floor, unsure of what to do.

Daredevil: "Trust is the foundation of any sense of belonging. Do you feel yourself beside Erik?"

Erik speaks up: "You have a lot of nerve coming here and standing tall before me. In an instant I can have all of you swallowed by the floor, ground into it by the falling ceiling. I can destroy you where you stand."

"Yet you don't dare because you don't know of the consequences that await."

There's a pause as the fourth horse is called forward by Nur. He looks at Mystique.

Raven: "No. Better the devil I know than the devils I don't. I'm not joining you."

Nur summons a portal. He and his horsemen step through it and in an instant they're gone. Raven sits back down as Erik looks at her.

/

Hank is within Cerebro. He's soon joined by Remy.

Remy: "You comin' up? Scott and Emma are on their way back."

Hank: "Of course. How is Wanda doing?"

Remy: "Looking fine, but I don't know how she is underneath. She's relaxing right now. No doubt she'll get grilled soon enough."

Hank: "As she should."

Remy: "Are you alright man?"

Hank: "I can't get a lock on Nur. I have used Cerebro to pinpoint Quicksilver, but he seems to be in a constant state of vibration. Meaning he's always moving at a high speed. If he stands still then I can find him, but then in an instant he's not only moved, but he's on another side of the planet."

Remy: "How's that work?"

Hank: "Janet said that Nur opens portals so that's how he gets from one place to another. But finding them is proving to be troublesome."

Remy: "Can't you pinpoint Sooraya or Daredevil instead?"

Hank: "Matt's not a mutant, so his core DNA hasn't ever been uploaded to Cerebro."

Remy: "And Dust?"

Hank: "Pinpointing her is tricky. Cerebro finds Quicksilver in flashes because his DNA has been logged long ago by Charles. We can literally type in his name and he will pop up – albeit in different places. Sooraya has never been logged by Charles. I have looked into all the mutants on Cerebro that have been located around Asia, but I can't get any identification because only their presence has been logged, not their credentials nor powers."

Remy: "So the only way around that is?"

Hank: "Charles. If he was here he could put the helmet on, connect with Cerebro and it'd amplify the information we can get."

Remy: "You were smart when you put in the logging system. At least you can get some kinda grip on Quicksilver. But you couldn't have used Cerebro to find Wanda before?"

Hank: "I tried. Her power is immeasurable Remy. She had somehow shielded herself off from the world. Now she's sitting in our living room."

Remy: "Well, come on. Scott and Emma will be home any minute. Maybe Wanda can help us find En Sabah Nur."

/

We see Erik sat on T'challa's throne. Raven sat on the floor beside him. Wakanda'n servants come along and further tend to Raven's injuries. Erik sees Shuri crying. He removes the metal from her face.

Erik: "Why the tears? Your brother will be here soon."

Shuri: "That being. He killed my mother!"

Erik: "Nur?"

Shuri: "Yes. He is responsible."

Erik: "Well, that's a shame."

Erik puts the metal back over Shuri's mouth.

Raven: "Did you know?"

Erik: "Know what?"

Raven: "That Doom was there to kill Sue Storm?"

Erik: "No. But that's his business."

Raven: "What about if any of us got killed?"

Erik: "What do you want from me Raven?"

Raven: "Empathy I guess."

Erik: "You're with me and you're safe. Once I talk to the leader here we'll be on our way and I will keep you safe. What more can I do?"

Raven: "Admit you need us. You had no way of getting your powers back before Pietro and I found you."

Erik: "So?"

Raven: "So it took guys like Juggernaut, Blob, Avalanche and Toad to get you to this point. It's not Nur you should be thanking, it's us."

Erik: "Because my gratitude to him was sincere? Hear yourself Raven. I'm not in a sentimental place. Never have been and never will be."

Raven: "Charles would have been. He cares about his X-Men."

Erik: "Cared. Past tense. Where is he? Where has he been? Even for the waking of En Sabah Nur he didn't make an appearance so forgive my lack of appreciation for Charles Xavier. The man's a coward. He disappeared and left his X-Men to it. At least I'm still here. At least my Brotherhood can come to me."

Raven: "But you should be doing the opposite to Charles. You should be keeping your team close. What if a fight broke out now? You think your metal manipulation would have saved us?"

Erik: "I am one of the most powerful mutants my dear. I don't fear Nur. And you made the right move, coming to me and standing by me. As all Brotherhood should do. They will find their way back to me."

Raven: "You seem overly confident about that. How do you know they will come back if you don't actively seek to help them?"

Erik: "You came back didn't you?"

/

We watch as Scott, Emma, Logan and Ororo arrive at the X-Mansion. Hank and Remy are walking up the stairs from the basement and they greet Ororo at the door. They gather in the living room with Kitty, Piotr, Jubilee and Wanda. Emma and Scott embrace Wanda and there's smalltalk between them. But then Emma has a quiet word with Scott.

Emma: "Janet's still here."

Scott: "Remy said she left this afternoon."

Emma: "She's here. In her Wasp form."

Scott: "Cloak and Dagger?"

Emma: "They did leave. But this conversation with Wanda, we can't have it now, not in front of Janet."

Scott: "Alright. I'll clear the room."

Scott addresses everyone and tells them that he's glad to see Wanda alive and well and he's equally as happy to see Ororo in the X-Mansion again.

Scott: "To celebrate and to burn off some steam I'd like everyone to gather in the Danger Room. Lets get some energy outta our systems shall we?"

Hank looks at Emma who nods. Emma eyes Jubilee and then Ororo.

Ororo: "I haven't been in the Danger Room for a while."

Hank: "There have been many upgrades. Come, I'll show you."

Everyone leaves the living room apart from Emma and Logan.

Emma: "You smell her?"

Logan: "Yeah."

Emma: "You can show yourself Janet. We know you're here."

Janet emerges as regular size out of her Wasp form. Logan grabs her around her waist and then torso, SNIKT, his claws up by her neck.

Logan: "What gives?"

Janet looks afraid.

Emma: "Logan that's not necessary."

Janet: "Yeah, please, I'm here aren't I? I didn't disappear."

Logan releases her as Emma sits on the couch. Logan puts his claws away.

Emma: "What's going on Janet? Why did you hide?"

Janet goes quiet.

Logan: "Look bub. We got a lot of shit to talk about with Wanda, so if you're gonna sit here wasting our time I'd rather throw you out and you can fuck off back to where you came from."

There's a pause.

Emma: "Janet?"

Janet: "I wasn't banking on you figuring I was still here. I er, I think I would like to leave, if it's all the same to you."

Logan: "It's not."

Emma: "He's right. It's not. Why did you hide with Wanda in the house? Didn't you say you had reason to speak with her yourself?"

Janet: "I did. But I changed my mind. Then I went Wasp 'cause you know, Wanda's a mutant and so I thought that Remy, Jubilee and the rest would want a mutant reunion of sorts."

Logan: "She's bullshitting."

Emma: "I know. What aren't you telling us? You said you wanted to talk to Wanda about who killed your family. Did you lie?"

Janet: "I don't have to answer you."

Janet quickly turns herself into The Wasp and we see her fly to the window and out of the mansion. SNIKT.

Logan: "Where is she?"

Emma: "Flying away."

Logan: "You're sure?"

Emma: "She's going farther and farther."

Logan: "What the hell?"

Logan puts his claws away. Emma stares out the window shaking her head.

/

We watch as a ship docks in Wakanda. T'challa exits the ship and Okoye is waiting for him.

Okoye: "My King."

T'challa: "Report Okoye."

They walk at a pace and talk.

Okoye: "The mutant Magneto has returned. Erik Lehnsherr has his powers returned to him and he's since escaped his cell, killed two guards, hurt many others and now he's sat on your throne. He has Mystique with him. Meanwhile poor Shuri is pinned with metal against a wall. Magneto didn't know she was your sister."

T'challa: "I expect my sister opened her big mouth."

Okoye: "With respect, yes."

T'challa: "What has Magneto demanded?"

Okoye: "Nothing except to see you. He has asked for food and medication for Mystique. She is concussed and her abdomen is hurt since Egypt."

T'challa: "They both facilitated the wakening of En Sabah Nur."

Okoye: "Yes."

T'challa and Okoye march to the throne room door and guards open it. They enter and T'challa commands Okoye to go to Shuri. He steps toward Magneto.

T'challa: "Release my sister."

Magneto stands up: "Here I was thinking you are a calm and reasonable man."

T'challa: "Now!"

Magneto moves the metal sheets off Shuri and she drops to the ground.

T'challa: "Get her out of here Okoye."

Okokye helps Shuri to her feet and they exit the throne room, leaving T'challa alone with Magneto and Mystique. All is quiet. Magneto steps away from the throne.

Magneto: "That was a gesture of good will, releasing your sister."

T'challa: "Good will? (He shouts) Where was that good will when my mother was murdered in Egypt?"

Magneto: "I don't know your mother friend. But this conversation has nothing to do with her."

T'challa: "Do not call me friend."

Magneto opens his palm and waves his hand in the direction of the throne.

Magneto: "Please. It's yours isn't it? I notice there wasn't a second seat ready for Ororo. I guess deep down you knew that it wasn't wise having a mutant as your Queen, despite her spectacular beauty."

T'challa: "And what? You want my throne? This is Wakanda. You have no place here."

Magneto: "Oh I know. And on the contrary, I don't want your throne. I want safe passage, from you."

T'challa: "What do you mean?"

Magneto: "Black Panther I'm sure you've heard of what I can do and I'm positive your little servant told you all about the two people I killed and the others I injured before you got here. Bare in mind that I could have done a lot of damage and I could have easily killed each and every guard, servant or family member that you have. But I didn't. I actually respect you. No, I see you as a threat. So what I want is; for me and Mystique to leave here without a problem. And I want for you to never hunt us."

T'challa: "Hunt you?"

Magneto: "Yes. You stay away from us. You don't help the Avengers, you don't help the X-Men. Black Panther is no longer involved in anything related to me. I will in return leave you alone. I won't come back here, I'll never hurt your people and I'll never hurt you because you won't be anywhere near my business."

T'challa stands quietly, thinking. Mystique stands up. She walks over to Magneto and talks to him quietly.

Mystique: "Where are we going to go if we're not here? The X-Men will be after us."

Magneto: "They won't. They have Nur to deal with. In the meantime we will regroup. (To T'challa) Well? What do you say?"

T'challa: "What guarantees that you are not lying to me?"

Magneto: "You are a smart man T'challa. You know I can do everything I said to your precious Wakanda, but I also know that your troubles only ever truly started when you left this place. When you went to see the world, when you went to help others. And for what? You have something here, a sanctuary. I will respect you enough to leave it alone. All you have to do is leave me be."

T'challa: "You will leave right now?"

Magneto holds his hands up and moves the metal sheets from where Shuri had been pinned to the wall. He smoothly merges the sheets with the floor from which they were ripped. They look perfectly fine.

Magneto: "I'm half way out the door already. You give me your word and I'll give you mine."

T'challa walks over to him. He puts out his hand. Magneto shakes it.

T'challa: "Deal. Leave."

Magneto puts his arm out for Mystique to link. The two of them walk away.

/

The X-Men are all back in the living room. Emma, Logan, Scott, Ororo, Hank, Jubilee, Remy, Kitty, Piotr, Remy and Wanda.

Emma: "Did she say anything to you Remy? Anything that would give us a clue?"

Remy: "No. I don't get it. I thought she was a nice girl."

Kitty: "Yeah well, she walked in here with Cloak and Dagger. She wasn't on the right side of this fight to begin with."

Scott: "None of them were. We need to get to matters at hand. Wanda?"

Wanda: "Alright. Of course."

Wanda stands up and addresses the room. She says that the place she had been hiding was Genosha. She explains that she lived underground there. She goes on to tell about how she felt the world was a better place with less mutants in it and she apologises for how she let her emotions lead her actions.

Wanda: "But that's who I am. My powers are at their highest capabilities when they are driven by my emotion. I'm sorry for the cause and effect that _no more mutants_ had on you all."

Logan: "Where's Xavier?"

Kitty: "What happened with Nur?"

Scott: "One at a time guys."

Wanda pauses.

Hank: "Where is Charles?"

Wanda: "Far East. He's become a monk."

Logan: "You're shitting me."

Hank: "I don't understand. He was linked to Cerebro. I have tried many times to find him."

Wanda: "He's not a mutant that's why."

Hank: "But since you gave everyone their powers back?"

Wanda: "No. He's stayed as _not_ a mutant."

Emma: "How? How can you determine that? Why is he exempt from his powers returning if you wiped them on D-Day?"

Wanda: "Because he was separate ok?"

Scott: "Separate?"

Remy: "What do you mean?"

Wanda: "When _D-Day_ happened Charles took me to Genosha. He helped me, he unclogged my mind and I was able to see clearly, finally."

Scott: "So?"

Wanda: "So then he started telling me of how happy he was feeling, that I did what I did."

Logan: "I don't believe you."

Emma: "Listen to her Logan."

Wanda: "Charles said that the world's mutant population going down, for him, was a good thing. There were less voices in his head. Less problems for him to deal with."

Hank: "That's understandable."

Wanda: "So then what he discussed with me was how long it was going to last. I told him that it's indefinite, but he somehow knew. He knew the world's mutant population would be back to normal sooner or later."

Ororo: "Then he asked you to do something?"

Wanda: "Yes. And to be honest, I was happy to. He helped me and I was feeling fucking normal for once."

Piotr: "What did he ask of you?"

Wanda: "He asked that I wipe his conscious. And that I wipe his powers."

Emma: "So his powers weren't wiped when you said no more mutants?"

Wanda: "No. He was still himself then."

Scott: "But you taking away so many mutants' powers made him see that he had an escape?"

Wanda: "I wouldn't call it that, but yeah."

Hank: "So you did what he asked?"

Wanda: "Yes. Charles helped me focus. He helped me so much that I am at a point now where I can harness my abilities, channel them and -"

Logan: "- And you fuckin' killed Charles?"

Wanda: "No! Not at all. He's fine. He's just not the Charles you know. He lives a normal, humble human life. It's simple for him, away from technology and away from all the bad in the world. I promise you he is fine. He's human and yeah, I did what he asked; I got rid of his powers and I cleared his memories. I replaced them with a simple Monk's life."

The room is quiet.

Wanda: "He's happy, ok?"

The X-Men all look devastated. Logan gets up and exits.

Scott: "Logan where -"

Logan: "- Back off. I'm going for a drive."

Kitty and Piotr leave the room. Piotr's arm around Kitty's shoulder. It looks like she's crying. Hank looks sad, as does Remy. Ororo shakes her head.

Wanda: "Guys, it's what he wanted. He's not dead."

Ororo: "But he wouldn't recognise us. Any of us. What you did to him was permanent?"

Wanda nods: "Yeah."

The room goes quiet.

/

A portal opens and we see En Sabah Nur and his horsemen step out of it. They stand before a gym called _Hot And Cold_.


	24. Episode 24

EPISODE 24:

We see En Sabah Nur and his three horsemen outside of _Hot And Cold _gym.

Dust: "We can't go in there with our horses."

There's a pause as Nur looks at Pietro. Quicksilver zooms off the picture and in an instant he's back outside having dragged John Allerdyce and Bobby Drake out to face Nur.

Bobby: "Holy shit."

Allerdyce lights up his fists. Bobby's entire body turns to ice.

John: "What the fuck man?"

Bobby: "This must be it. This must be why our powers are back."

John: "Well are you just gonna stand there? What the hell do you want?"

Nur eyeballs them both and then proceeds to open a portal.

"They will be of no use to us. We'll try elsewhere."

Dust, Daredevil, Quicksilver, their horses and the fourth horse all trot through the portal after Nur. John's hands return to normal as does Bobby's entire body.

John: "What the hell?"

Bobby: "I don't know." He shakes his head.

/

We see a ship get set to land. We recognise the area by it's deserted environment. We see Mystique in the cockpit of the ship. Down the lowering ramp steps Magneto. The ship turns off and we see Mystique exit down the ramp too. She seems fine after her previous injuries.

Mystique: "Here we are. The shit hole that is Genosha."

Magneto: "No Raven. This will be our home. Genosha will rise once again and mutants will have their sanctuary."

Right away Magneto begins to move metal and start to build structures.

/

We see rain fall as a number of heroes are gathered around a grave site. A casket is being carried. At the front of it are Reed Richards and Johnny Storm. The one person carrying the back end of the casket is Thing. As the casket is being lowered into the grave we see many familiar faces including the majority of the wedding goers that had attended Black Panther and Storm's failed event in Egypt. The rain continues to fall as a prayer is read and eventually the scene fades to people being gathered at Reed's house. Bobby is there talking to Ororo.

Bobby: "I don't know what their deal was."

Ororo: "When did that happen?"

Bobby: "A week ago. I honestly didn't know what to do, but they didn't attack so neither John or I had a reason to retaliate."

Ororo: "You did the right thing Bobby. They may have ruined your livelihood if a fight ensued."

Bobby nods and waits a moment. He says: "Storm, I'm sorry I didn't come to your wedding."

Ororo hugs him: "It's not a problem. It didn't turn out as a wedding and without your powers at the time you may have gotten hurt. I'm glad you found a life with John. Is he not here?"

Bobby: "He's not. He didn't come because he's a little freaked out with having his powers back. We thought we found peace you know? Living normal human lives."

Bobby notices Ororo look in the direction of T'challa across the room.

Bobby: "He er, won't talk to you?"

Ororo: "No."

Bobby: "Seems a little cowardice to me."

Ororo: "You don't know what he's been through. Speak less and acknowledge the full story Bobby."

Bobby: "Right Storm, sorry."

Ororo sees Shuri and goes to her.

/

Mystique is sat on a giant rock and she watches as Magneto tirelessly puts Genosha back together piece by piece.

Mystique: "You can do the metal and the building, but the place still needs cleaning up. What are you gonna do about getting it populated?"

Magneto: "I have plans to make sure Genosha prospers Raven. You shouldn't be so sceptical. In the time we were in the dimension that my daughter made for us, I saw exactly how mutants had a place in the world. It was done properly and it was done well."

Mystique: "Oh how holier-than-thou you pretend to be. Wanda saw you for the egomaniac you are and that's why she said no more mutants in the first place, don't you remember?"

Magneto: "Oh I remember. And it was because Pietro got hurt that she became so angry and said those words, not because of my ego. But being human for the past year or so has humbled me. Made me see how to do things more, shall we say; tactfully."

Mystique: "Bull. You killed people in Wakanda and I don't see you sending a letter of condolence to the Fantastic Three. You haven't changed that much."

Magneto: "Wakanda was a slaying of guards to send a simple message that I wasn't messing around. Anyway, what's got you in such a bad mood? Ah, I bet it's the fact that you turned down Apocalypse. I'm surprised you're still alive to be fair."

Mystique: "Well life beside him might've been different to being here waiting for Genosha to rise again. I don't have the patience for this shit."

Magneto: "Then how about I give you something to do? A mission. A covert one of course."

Mystique: "If it gets me out of painting and decorating some of your buildings, I'm all for it. What do you want me to do?"

Magneto: "Moira MacTaggart. Find her and find out who she's sleeping with."

Mystique: "The scientist? Why?"

Magneto: "Because having spoken to our affiliate in the U.S. government, it seems like Moira's serum will be hitting hospitals soon. Each country has agreed to it, to give people the opportunity to make choices as parents whether or not they want their children to be born as mutants."

Mystique: "What does her beau have to do with it?"

Magneto: "In my estimation; everything. That's why I need to know who he is."

Mystique gets off her rock and begins walking toward their ship. As she does we see a number of helicopters emerge in the airspace. They set to land around and behind their ship.

Mystique shouts back to Magneto: "Friends or foes?"

Magneto: "Friends. We have workers for further building and the decorating."

Mystique: "Seriously?"

Magneto: "Yes. I want Genosha back up and running by the end of the year."

Mystique shakes her head and boards the ship. Magneto keeps on moving metal.

/

We see Peter Parker in a small apartment. He hears a rustling by his door and he walks over to open it.

Peter: "Mary-Jane?"

She's stood there having put a box on the floor. She has rustled up coloured tissue-paper in her hands.

Mary-Jane: "Oh. I, I didn't think you would be here."

Peter: "Are you alright?"

Mary-Jane puts the coloured tissue-paper into the box: "I'm fine. I was gonna write you a note. Should've done that before coming. I was just gonna leave your stuff here. I thought you would have been at the funeral."

Peter: "To be honest I didn't go because I thought you would be there."

Mary-Jane: "Well, communication was never our strong suit."

Peter: "Right. Do you wanna come in?"

MJ picks up the box and hands it to him: "No. But if you have any more of my things then just throw'm out."

Peter: "MJ it doesn't have to be like that."

Mary-Jane: "It does Pete. It really does. Happy contacted me to tell me your lawyer's in place and that he's sorting out our divorce papers. I can't really afford a top end guy, but I don't want anything so I'm sure it'll all go through smoothly. You didn't even have to move out of our apartment."

There's a pause.

Peter: "I thought it'd be best. To give each other space."

Mary-Jane: "Well, whatever Pete."

MJ sets to walk down the hall. She presses the elevator button and looks back at Peter who's stood in his doorway.

Peter: "I'm sorry MJ. I wasn't fair on you."

Mary-Jane: "An explanation would have been nice, but I guess you don't owe me that anymore. Bye Peter."

The elevator arrives and MJ steps into it. Peter closes the apartment door and stares at his box. There's a knock at the door and he quickly opens it.

As he answers: "MJ, I… Daredevil."

Daredevil: "Hi Peter."

Peter steps backwards as Daredevil walks forward into Pete's apartment.

Peter: "How did you find me?"

Matt: "I know your heartbeat and your conversations with MJ are all too familiar. I simply concentrated my hearing and heard you."

Peter sets to step past: "Oh God, MJ, what did you do?"

Matt holds up his hand to Peter's chest and stops him: "Nothing. We haven't touched her. She's fine and on her way home."

Peter moves Daredevil's hand off his chest, steps toward the door and looks into the hall. He steps back in and closes the door. THWIP! Peter shoots a web in Daredevil's direction. THWIP! THWIP! Matt's left wrist is webbed to the side of the kitchen counter. The other webs hit him in the chest like BB-gun shots. With his free hand Matt has his Billy Club at the ready and the two engage in a fight. Peter climbs the wall and ceiling to stay out of range of the Club. He tries aiming his web shots to pin Matt's other hand, but he's unsuccessful as Daredevil wriggles free off the side of the counter.

Matt: "I'm not here to hurt you."

Peter: "Oh yeah? Well I'm gonna capture you whether you like it or not!"

Peter drops from the ceiling and the two battle in a fist fight, but with Daredevil's hearing he is able to determine when Spider-Man is going to strike by the elevations in his heartbeat. After some time it seems Murdock is engaging in the battle to test himself and his enhanced abilities. Parker backs off and pants at a heavy rate.

Peter: "What the hell? I thought you couldn't see?"

Matt: "My eyes are fine Pete. En Sabah Nur gave my sight back to me."

Peter: "What are you doing here? And what do you mean heard us, heard us from where?"

Matt: "It doesn't matter. Lets just say my abilities have been significantly amplified. I came here to ask you a question that's all. To ask if you would like to join the quest of En Sabah Nur."

Peter: "You must be out of your mind!"

The back and forth continues between the two. Peter gets some THWIP! Web shots in, but he can't seem to pin Matt down. Murdock seems one step ahead. Peter backs off as Matt holds up his hands.

Matt: "We don't need to fight."

Peter: "Why would I join you? Especially after you pretty much just kicked my ass. And the fight in Egypt; it almost got MJ killed!"

Matt: "Yet you're not with her anymore."

Peter: "None of this makes sense. Why are you a horseman of his? I mean what the fuck man, I thought you were good."

Matt: "I am good, as is Nur, as are Dust and Quicksilver. We are not hurting anyone Peter. En Sabah Nur is here as a messenger of God. He does God's bidding, for the greater good."

Peter: "Greater good? You mean whatever _good _Nur decrees as good right? And for what? You got your eyesight and enhanced abilities. And what good has gone to Dust and Quicksilver?"

Matt: "Pietro has lost his silver streak, so he can no longer be tracked while running at his great speeds. Dust has had no favours. Only the promise that Nur will return to hibernation once his quest is done."

Peter: "Right, like The Avengers are gonna let him go to sleep again."

Matt: "You know of this for sure Peter? We have been roaming the world for weeks. We've seen no Avengers in our path. Besides, it'd be foolish for anyone to be in Nur's way. Whatever happens because of him, if people get in his way, he will hurt them, for the greater good."

Peter shakes his head: "Well I don't know alright. I just know you won't get away with what you're doing."

Matt: "All we're currently doing is looking for a fourth horseman. Won't you join us? You have lost Mary-Jane and you are often overlooked, unbelonging to the Avengers or the X-Men for that matter."

Peter: "No. You're not going to manipulate me. I'm not going with you."

Matt: "Won't you at least come to the roof, to meet En Sabah Nur, to see what he can offer you?"

Peter: "No. Just go alright. I want nothing to do with any of you. And stay away from Mary-Jane."

Daredevil steps toward the door and opens it. "Very well. Nice seeing you Peter." He exits and closes the door behind him.

Peter takes a deep breath and shakes his head. He looks at his hands, unimpressed with his fight with Daredevil.

/

In the kitchen at Reed Richards' house, Scott Summers enters having just been on the phone. He walks past Bruce Banner and Hank McCoy, stepping toward Emma Frost.

Emma: "Anything further from Cooper?"

Scott: "Nothing. She doesn't know where Nur is, but I talked to Shuri and Storm. Magneto and Mystique were being held in Wakanda, but they're not anymore. Shuri detailed how Erik held Wakanda hostage, but gave it back to Black Panther on the basis that T'challa doesn't hunt him."

Emma: "Seriously? And Panther went for that?"

Scott: "Apparently Erik in turn promised never to return to Wakanda."

Emma: "Panther's trying to protect his people."

Scott: "Seems that way. But without Storm and him talking we're going to find it difficult to strategize how to get Magneto."

Emma: "Maybe I can have a word."

Scott: "I wouldn't. Seems he doesn't want to talk to any X-Men. Nobody seems to want to."

Emma goes puts her hand to Scott's face: "You're upset."

Scott sits on a chair and leans in to rest his head on Emma's baby bump as she plays with his hair.

Scott: "I just feel let down. Abandoned even."

Emma: "I don't need to read your mind to know that this is about Charles. You haven't been sleeping, but my darling don't you think you're being harsh?"

Scott: "Xavier and I disagreed on a number of things, but he was my mentor and above everything I always respected him and his decisions. But how am I supposed to forgive him now? He willingly gave up his powers after spending his entire life trying to help mutants. He threw it all away just so he didn't have the responsibility anymore."

Emma: "I think there was more to it than that. He heard every hope, fear, thought or fantasy of millions of mutants Scott. He had no way of truly blocking that out or finding peace. It was like he was a Doctor on-call for his entire life. I mean given his age, can't you afford him peace now?"

Scott: "Maybe I could if he talked to me about it. But he made the decision on his own and he left us."

Emma: "He left and you're the one in charge now sweetheart. He wouldn't have made a decision on impulse. Remember he was helping Wanda hone her powers for weeks, maybe months. He was probably weighing up pros and cons the entire time. He knew what he was doing when he left the mansion to you."

Scott: "Well it's not mine. It belongs in Jean's name."

Emma: "Right, which by association means you."

Scott hugs Emma's tummy.

Scott: "Sorry."

Emma: "It's ok. I know a part of you will always love Jean. And I know that eventually you'll understand that the Professor done what was best, for everyone, not just himself."

Scott: "You're incredibly understanding."

Emma: "You know I'm known for my compassion."

They smile together.

Scott: "Very funny."

/

In a car outside of Reed's house Kitty is laying over Piotr's chest as they're cuddled up in the back seat. She's texting Kurt.

Piotr: "He ok?"

Kitty: "Yeah. I got worried after Egypt 'cause he didn't come back here with us. He said he's been back in Germany since. I told him about the Professor. He said he's sad about it, but understands. He asked me to pass his condolences to Reed again."

Piotr: "And you? Are you feeling any better?"

Kitty: "I'd be shitty if you weren't here Pete. I'm sorry we're stuck in here. There's just a lot to process you know?"

Piotr: "No need to explain to me. I have dreamt of having you to myself in a car. In many places actually."

Kitty: "Piotr, you flirt!"

The two of them kiss, but past Kitty's head Piotr's eyes look out the window. From his point of view we see a woman enter Reed's house. Piotr unlocks the kiss.

Piotr: "Hey, look!"

Kitty: "Huh?"

Piotr gets set to exit the car: "Come Kitty, I saw an old friend."

Kitty follows him out and closes the car door: "So much for backseat sex."

The two of them hold hands as they walk toward the house.

/

We pan around the house and into the living room where Wanda Maximoff is talking to Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. There are many others in there too, including Johnny Storm, Bobby, Jubilee, Logan and Angel. We can see that Logan is drinking a beer, but every so often he pauses thoughtfully, as if he's smelling something or someone familiar.

Wanda: "Nur said that the world needed balance. According to him, the fact that I took away the world's mutant population meant that I distorted that balance, the balance of humans and mutants. Nur said that I had turned the clock back on mutant evolution. He threatened me."

Natasha: "How?"

Wanda: "His threat was that if I didn't restore mutants' powers, he would have to wind down the world's human population, so that there was more of a balance – but of course he'd do that by killing, not in the way I did with mutants."

Steve: "He has the power to do that?"

Wanda: "He's incredibly intimidating and seeing his three followers on flying horses is no party either. So I told him that I'd restore mutant powers as long as he didn't hurt anyone."

Tony: "And you believed him?"

Wanda: "I had to. That was my only way of making sure people didn't die."

Remy LeBeau joins the talk: "She didn't have a choice. Nur obviously wasn't messing around."

Steve: "Ok, so what happened after mutant abilities were restored?"

Wanda: "Well I was able to greet Pietro and pretty soon after that Nur opened a portal and they all left."

Natasha: "Where did they go?"

Wanda: "I don't know."

Natasha: "Shit."

On Wanda's shoulder we zoom in and see The Wasp. She's heading for Wanda's neck. As she does that we pan to normal size picture and we see that the woman who had entered the house was none other than -

Remy: "- Rogue?"

Rogue doesn't say a word to anyone and she marches toward Wanda to place her bare hands around Wanda's neck. As she does we see that she also touches The Wasp.

Rogue: "No more mutants! No more mutants!"

Rogue is in anguish as she absorbs everything she can from Wanda, but inadvertently she's absorbed from The Wasp as well. Natasha, Tony, Steve and Remy all back off as three women all collapse on the floor. Wanda drained, Rogue overwhelmed, and Janet Pym back to regular size. They're all unconscious. We see Banner, McCoy, Summers and Frost all come rushing from the kitchen. Reed Richards, Thing and Black Panther rush from the dining room.

Reed: "What is going on here?"

People rush to get to Wanda. Remy goes to Rogue as do Jubilee who's come down the stairs and Kitty who's come through the front door. Tony Stark is stood shaking his head as he eyeballs Bobby across the room.

Tony: "Icepick, do your powers work?"

Bobby: "Ice Man."

Tony: "Sorry. Do your powers work?"

Bobby sends some ice over to Tony's class to chill his drink.

Tony: "Damn it."

Logan speaks up: "What's that supposed to mean?"

Tony: "Well she came in here and had Wanda by the neck and said no more mutants. One would think Rogue doesn't want mutants around."

Logan: "And what bub, neither do you?"

Tony: "Look I'm not the enemy here. Fact of the matter is there was peace until Nur showed up."

Jubilee: "You mean peace until mutants came back."

Tony: "Don't put words in my mouth little girl."

Jubilee: "I ain't a little girl!"

An argument ensues between some Avengers and some X-Men.

T'challa shouts: "Enough!"

The room calms. The three women still unconscious on the floor.

T'challa: "I'm sure I speak for others when I say that I have had my fair share of war. Avengers are supposed to protect people. X-Men. Mutants, they just seem to cause pain. All of you get out of my friend's house. Right now."

We see Reed look at T'challa and he nods toward him. Thing joins Reed as they exit to the dining room.

Johnny: "Party's fuckin' over." He marches over to the front door and opens it.

People begin to leave. Remy carries Rogue. Banner carries Janet. Logan picks up Wanda. We see Steve Rogers go over to T'challa.

Steve: "I'm sorry T'challa. For Reed's loss and yours."

T'challa nods. The house pretty much empties.


	25. Episode 25

EPISODE 25:

Erik Lehnsherr is in Genosha. He has his feet up as he sits back on a deck chair atop a roof under a clear night sky. He is talking to Raven via his earpiece.

Erik: "I thought you would have had news for me by now?"

Raven: "I'm close Erik. I'll be in there again tomorrow, but this isn't the movies. I can't steal a key-card, swipe it and get in, I've had to wear numerous faces over the past few days in order to become the right people to get close to Moira. Tomorrow's another day. I'll get to her."

Erik: "You mentioned the X-Men were there?"

Raven: "Yeah, Beast and Jubilee. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I'm assuming they wanted to talk to Moira."

Erik: "To stop the release of the serum no doubt."

Raven: "I don't know. Where do we stand on it exactly?"

Erik: "We're all for it. Think about it Raven, it will enable people to have a choice. Here in Genosha we can provide a home for those that choose to live as mutants. A place they can be themselves. That's why we have had so much help from the government agency for the funding and rebuilding of Genosha."

Raven: "You're building most of it yourself."

Erik: "Yes. And I will lead this land as it's government operative and ruler."

Raven: "You trust who you're in contact with, in the agency?"

Erik: "Enough to trust one another's word, yes."

Raven: "What about this goose chase you have me on; what does Moira's lover matter?"

Erik: "He matters because I want to know who we're dealing with. Your efforts of reconnaissance are highly valued."

/

Remy LeBeau is at a bedside. A woman wakes within the duvet. She sees Gambit and shifts herself up the bed.

Remy: "Anna. It's me."

There is silence. Remy reaches to the bedside table to put the lamp on. He and Rogue make eye-contact.

Rogue: "What time is it?"

Remy: "Close to midnight."

Rogue: "How long have ah been here?"

Remy: "A few days. We had you in the lab, but once you were stable Hank said it was fine to bring you somewhere more comfortable."

Rogue: "My old room."

Remy: "Yeah."

He reaches for her hand, but she jumps out of bed.

Rogue: "Shit, where's my phone?"

She rushes over to the clothes she arrived in and digs her phone out of her pocket. She notices she has gloves on and she quickly takes them off. She finds a name and clicks dial.

To Remy: "My battery is low. You got a charger for this?"

Remy: "I'm sure I can find one."

Rogue: "And these old PJs, who changed me? It better not have been you Remy. And damn to those gloves."

Remy half smiles and holds his hands up: "It was Storm."

Rogue: "Good." On the call: "Hello? Hi Brian? Yeah sugar, it's me. I'm sorry I've been out of touch. How you doin'?... Yeah?... Well yeah sure I'll be back soon, I-" the call cuts as Rogue's phone dies. "Damn it."

Remy: "You have a spouse?"

Rogue eyeballs him: "Yeah. And I have a family."

/

Over in Scott and Emma's room, Emma is sat at the edge of her bed holding her stomach and breathing heavily.

Scott: "You're really getting on well."

Emma: "Please Scott, don't humour me. I look like shit and feel it too."

Scott hands her a bucket and sits beside her.

Emma: "I don't need that. If I wanna hurl I'll do so in the bathroom."

Scott: "Ok. What can I do?"

Emma: "Just, rub my back, please."

Scott begins by putting his hands on Emma's shoulders.

Emma barks: "Back! Back please, lower back. Flat palm, just rub."

Scott: "Ok."

Scott does as instructed.

After a few moments Emma says: "Rogue's awake."

Scott: "Is she running?"

Emma: "No. Remy's talking to her."

Scott: "That won't go well."

Emma: "He's the only one she'll be honest with."

Scott: "Are you listening to them?"

Emma: "No. How could you think so ill of me? Besides I couldn't if I wanted to. This baby's taking a lot out of me. I'm just staying in tune to know that she's still here. We can talk to her in the morning. Or at least talk to Remy by then."

Scott continues rubbing Emma's back.

/

Rogue plugs in her phone to the charger that Remy hands her. She eyeballs her gloves and puts them back on.

Rogue: "Are you planning on staying in here all night?"

Remy: "Wasn't plannin' on it, but I thought we could talk."

Rogue: "Right. You talk, or are you playing agent and reporter for Cyclops, Emma and the rest of the X-Men?"

Remy: "Come on chere, we don't mean no harm on you, you know that."

Rogue huffs and shakes her head as she goes to stand by the window. She looks out to the basketball court that covers the Blackbird.

Rogue: "So? Ask. What do you wanna know? Ask me now 'cause I'm outta here in the morning."

Remy: "Ok. Who's Brian?"

Rogue smiles: "Ah guess you're not a puppet after all. Brian is my boyfriend Remy. More importantly, he's the father of my child."

Remy: "You have a kid?"

Rogue nods: "A little boy. He's only a few weeks old."

Remy: "But then, why are you here? Don't you live in Arizona now?"

Rogue: "Yeah Remy, I do. With my family, but you know what? Ah was living quite a happy normal life. All of a sudden I find myself floatin' over my bed one day. Ah find my emotions constricted like an out of control snake and above all else; I can't touch my family any longer. Can't kiss my man and can't hold my son. That's why I came here."

Remy: "That explains why you kept yellin' no more mutants."

Rogue: "Right. Ah wanted to absorb everything I could to make sure ah could say those words and have it all happen again. I was happy Remy. I had everything I always wanted. Now my family's gonna see me as a fuckin' freak."

Remy: "Well I'm sure if Brian loves you-"

Rogue: "- He does love me. He loves Anna. Anna! But you think he'll be happy when ah can't kiss him? You think he'll be glad when I have to put rubber gloves on to give my own baby a bath? My whole world is flipped upside down all 'cause Wanda decided to change things again. She had done what was best for the world. She should have wiped all mutant powers and wiped all our memories as far as ah'm concerned."

Remy: "You sound like the Professor."

Rogue: "Charles? Is he here?"

Remy: "No. But Wanda did that for him. She wiped his powers and his memories. He's a monk in the far east now."

Rogue: "Figures. He had enough of mutant bullshit too."

Remy: "Have you had enough of me?"

Rogue: "No. Not everything is about you. Now where is Wanda?"

Remy: "She's a few doors down."

Rogue: "I need to try again Remy."

Remy: "No, you don't."

Rogue: "You're gonna stop me?"

Remy: "Not physically, but I hope you can see sense. Absorbin' her didn't work once, why you wanna try it again?"

Rogue pauses.

Remy: "Look. You said you'll leave in de mornin'. Talk to her then."

Rogue: "Do you think she could do for me what she done for Charles?"

Remy: "I honestly don't know."

The conversation goes quiet as Rogue goes to sit on the bed.

Rogue: "Ah think-"

Remy: "- You look. Sorry. You go first."

Rogue: "No, nothing. What were you gonna say?"

Remy: "Nothin' dat you already don't know; dat you look spectacular."

Rogue: "Yeah right, in PJs? You hated me in these."

Remy: "Only 'cause I wanted to see what was underneath. And I never hated them. Your butt always jiggled well in those ones."

Rogue: "Shut up Remy."

Remy: "Why?"

Rogue: "You can't talk to me like that."

Remy: "Did I insult you?"

Remy moves to sit at the foot of the bed.

Rogue: "Don't come closer alright? I don't want to-"

Remy: "- To hurt me. I know. I'll sit right here."

The two can't take their eyes off one another.

/

Downstairs in the X-Mansion we see Logan sat watching television with a beer in his hand. Ororo exits the kitchen and goes to sit on the couch beside him. He acknowledges her with a look, but they both sit silently watching the movie on the screen. Logan reaches down to pick up a beer can. He passes it to Ororo. She looks at the can.

Logan: "Come on, it's not as if you're going out driving. It'll help you sleep."

Ororo takes the beer and opens it. She says: "You and I have never needed a topic of conversation to be able to relax in the same room James. Why is it you're opening this dialogue now when you know that the last thing I would want to do is talk about the reasons that I can't sleep."

Logan: "Maybe it's me that wants to talk for a change, ever think of that?"

Ororo smiles and clinks her beer can to Logan's: "Ok."

Logan: "I missed'm. I missed Wasp and Rogue, when they showed up at Sue's funeral. I should've known they were there."

Ororo: "Oh come on, it's not your fault."

Logan: "No? I'm supposed to protect us Storm."

Ororo: "We all have a responsibility to look after ourselves and each other. That doesn't mean the weight of the world is on Wolverine. I bet you Emma and Scott are giving themselves a hard time about the very same topic, just like you are."

Logan: "So? That doesn't change the fact that I missed'm."

Ororo: "So did Emma. Look, you were in a building full of people that were feeling the emotion of missing Sue. Past all the tears and heartache, it's preposterous that you can give yourself a hard time over missing a couple of people. Think of a police dog; it finds drugs only if it's searching for them right? Otherwise it's in neutral. Maybe that was it."

Logan: "That was it? I was in neutral? So I can be forgiven for missing shit because I was ignorant?"

Ororo: "No, that's not what I meant James. Stop letting anger drive your verbal response to me. Emma was at the funeral and she didn't know Janet or Rogue were there. She didn't sense them right away or have a moment to warn anyone about their intentions. You can't blame yourself, understand? Nobody could have known that they would show up."

Logan shakes his head: "Janet. Do we know anything further about her?"

Ororo: "She is with the Avengers and apparently she's remained in her coma. I don't believe it was Rogue's intention to absorb her. I doubt Rogue even knew she was there."

Logan: "How much longer do those Avengers think she'll be in that coma?"

Ororo: "They don't know. She's alive so that's the only positive news as it stands."

Logan: "Alive. I didn't trust her when she was here and the way she was being sneaky meant that she was up to something that we wouldn't approve of."

Ororo: "Maybe. But we won't know for sure until she wakes up. She doesn't have a Scott Lang or Henry Pym at her bedside talking to her. Only the heavens know for how long she'll be in her coma."

/

We can hear the sound of vomiting as the camera pans past Scott and Emma's room. Outside the X-Mansion we zoom in on a presence rustling along the lawn. We follow it up the side of the building and it goes into Rogue's room. We see a woman form out of sand and gravel.

Remy leaps over to her: "Sooraya!"

The two of them touch hands, palms to palms. Gambit embraces her and she inhales his scent.

Remy: "Sooraya, you're back? You're safe-"

She unlocks the hug.

Dust: "- No Remy. I am here to come and get you."

Remy steps further out of the hug: "What? Get me?"

Dust: "Yes. My love, join me with En Sabah Nur. We will live in harmony together. Share a path with me, a purpose, not for mutants or humans, but for the world."

Remy: "No, babe, you're an X-Man. Why are you with Nur? What the hell happened in Egypt? You have a family here. You have me."

Dust: "And I have come back for you to come with me. Be a horseman my Gambit."

Rogue: "Excuse me, who is this?"

Remy: "Rogue, this is-"

Dust: "- I am Sooraya Qadir, a horseman of En Sabah Nur."

Rogue rolls up her pyjama bottoms at her waist and removes her gloves: "Ah'm Rogue. And you ain't welcome in my room."

Dust fades into sand as Rogue approaches with a right hand. She punches into thin air. She looks to the floor and she can't move as sand and gravel have her foot solidly trapped. She bends over to get a grip on the sand, but as she sets to touch it she only touches her foot and we see Dust emerge as her full person behind Rogue. She kicks her in her backside and Rogue is dumped to the floor.

Remy: "I gotta say, I'm in no rush to stop this."

Rogue is fast to get up and she tackles Dust to the ground. She sets to try and touch her skin to absorb and debilitate her, but Dust is fully covered with her Niqab.

Rogue: "Remy! Hold her down would ya? What's goin' on? Why ain't you helpin' me?"

Dust blocks Rogue's attempts to get at her and then kicks her off.

Dust: "You missed the part where he hugged me Anna Marie? He's not yours to control anymore."

The two scrap, trading punches and grapples back and forth.

Rogue: "How'd you know ma name? I haven't met you. Nor have ah heard of ya."

Dust: "I am the keeper of Remy's soul."

Rogue: "You can keep ma foot in your face you bitch."

The two continue, but then Gambit finally gets involved, pulling Rogue off Sooraya and throwing her on the bed. Dust is on her feet and Gambit pushes her to the wall, not taking his hands off her shoulders.

Remy: "Quiet, both of you."

Rogue to Dust: "He threw me on the bed."

Dust to Rogue: "He's pinned me to the wall. And he's touching me."

Dust turns into sand and gravel and releases herself from Gambit's hands. She moves herself all over Remy's body from head to toe in sand form. All Rogue can do is watch. Dust reforms as her person right by the bed.

Dust: "Now I have touched him all over."

Rogue screams in anger as she leaps off the bed and goes for Dust, but Sooraya disappears.

Remy: "No!"

Rogue looks around and stomps on what she thinks is sand and gravel, but instead she hits nothing. Gambit looks around furiously as we see Scott, Logan and Ororo enter the room. Scott turns the main bedroom light on.

Scott: "What's going on here?"

Rogue: "Fuckin' horseman is what's going on here."

Logan growls: "Arrgh! Dust was here."

Scott: "The fighting?"

Rogue, putting her gloves back on: "Me and her. She didn't beat me."

Rogue and Ororo make eye contact and walk toward one another.

Rogue: "Hi Storm."

They hug.

Ororo: "Storm? Me? When you're making quite the racket?"

Rogue: "Well what else am ah supposed to do if a woman come in here and-"

Remy: "- And try claim ol' Gambit for herself."

There's a split-second's pause.

Rogue: "Shut up Cajun."

Gambit looks proud of himself.

Scott: "I gotta say Emma's only just gone down so I would appreciate it if there weren't 1AM fights in the mansion."

Logan: "Oh as if it bothers you when your quarters are a billion feet down the hall."

Scott: "Why are you so snappy at me Logan? Been drinking?"

Logan, SNIKT: "And what if I have bub, you got anything you wanna do about it?"

Ororo: "Oh jeez, by the Gods Logan, put them away. Come Rogue, you must be hungry."

SNIKT, the claws retract.

Rogue shakes her head at Cyclops and Wolverine as she and Storm exit the room: "Some things never change."

Gambit to Wolverine: "Why are you drinking so much man?"

Cyclops: "'Cause he can't handle that Xavier's gone so he's drowning his sorrows. His insides can heal themselves, but too bad nothing can heal your personality."

Wolverine: "You wanna make your wife a single mom, punk?"

Summers walks out of the room mumbling: "Fuck you Logan."

Logan roars in frustration as Remy sets to walk past him to exit too.

Logan: "Where are you goin'? Want a beer?"

Remy shakes his head: "Cold shower. Another time. Five-o-clock PM some time, not one twelve in the mornin'."

Logan exits, slamming the door shut: "Judgemental pricks."

/

We fade to a clip of the night going. The next morning we see Rogue reintegrating with the X-Men. We see various clips of her with Beast, Iceman, Jubilee and Emma Frost. In the final part of the clip we see Rogue on the phone.

Rogue: "I have to do a couple things… Yeah well I didn't get to see everyone that ah wanted to see at the funeral… No, I wanna head back as soon as ah can. Is the baby ok?"

Gambit is in the hallway listening to the joy in her voice when she talks to her boyfriend about their son. We see Wanda walk down the hall toward him. They wait by the door as Rogue continues talking on the phone.

Wanda: "She has a family?"

Remy: "Yeah. A lot can happen in a year."

Wanda: "They know she's a mutant?"

Remy: "Don't think so. That's why she did what she did. She didn't mean to harm you or anything."

Wanda: "I know Gambit. I gather she was happy in her normal life."

Remy looks forlorn. Wanda rubs his arm and gives him a hug. They unlock the hug right as Rogue gets off the phone.

/

We fade to a clip showing Magneto further rebuilding numerous structures in Genosha. There are U.S. government helicopters there and we see many workers and decorators helping Magneto with the look, style and feel of every part of his island. In the final part of the clip we see a woman exit a newly landed helicopter and she approaches Erik. We can't hear what they're saying under the noise of the chopper, but we recognise her to be Valerie Cooper. She and Erik shake hands.

/

We fade to a clip showing Janet Pym in the Avengers' Tower. She's hooked up to monitors and deeply lost in her coma. Bruce Banner is there observing her and as the clip fast-forwards we see Natasha Romanov and Tony Stark also come to visit.

/

We see Mystique change from person to person and make her way to the outside Moira MacTaggart's main office. She looks through the glass on the door and Moira is there kissing her beau. As their kiss unlocks, from Mystique's point of view we can read that his nametag reads _Dr. Nathan Milbury_. Mystique takes herself away from the door and sees the logo for Moira's company on the opposite wall.

Mystique: "MMM Global Sciences. Moira MacTaggart-Milbury. Holy fucking shit."


	26. Episode 26

EPISODE 26:

Mystique, as a random worker within MMM Global Sciences is talking to Magneto via her earpiece.

We can hear Erik: "Nathan Milbury. This isn't good. And I've just had Valerie Cooper here. She said MMM's serum is set to be officially available as soon as next week."

Raven: "Valerie Cooper? Who's that? And what did she mean officially?"

Erik: "There are people all over the world that are trying to protect their partners and their children's futures. Cooper is my contact within the government agency. She's been helping us and keeping me informed all along. In not so many words, the serum has already been available for the richest of the rich in the world's major countries. Especially for those political or high-end families that want to keep their future offspring as human. I should have foreseen that."

Raven: "But this is Nathan Milbury. There can't be a straight-forward play with him."

Erik: "I quite agree. There might well be more to the serum than even Moira knows. Can you get to her? To talk?"

Raven looks through the glass on the door: "Yeah, I will when Milbury's out of the, oh shit."

Erik: "What?"

Raven: "Milbury, he just vanished."

Erik: "What do you mean vanished?"

Raven: "He was right there looking at Moira and now he's gone."

Erik: "He can teleport."

Raven: "He can, but that wasn't it. He didn't go on his own accord and the window's open. Moira looks spooked."

Erik: "Quicksilver."

Raven: "Fuck."

Erik: "Get out of there Raven."

Raven: "I'm walking."

Erik: "Get to Westchester and tell the X-Men."

Raven: "What? Really?"

Erik: "Yes. I expect my daughter is with them. Tell them about Nathan and the fact that Quicksilver just took him. I will join you there as soon as I can."

Raven walks at a pace: "I don't understand. Why tell the X-Men anything?"

Erik: "Politics. If MMM Global Sciences are up to no good, it's the X-Men that we have to use to uncover it. That way mutants are seen as the good guys and us by association because we would be present with them. In turn, if as we expect there's more to the serum than meets the eye, the news can be spun to blame the X-Men for driving MMM to evil deeds. Either way, it helps our general appeal to mutants for them to come and make a home in Genosha."

Raven: "Alright, I get it. What about The Brotherhood? Will you bring them to the X-Mansion?"

Erik: "I've had contact with Toad, but no one else. I couldn't negotiate the release of Cain and Blob from Cooper. Not yet. When Genosha's up and running we'll have more leverage to get them moved here. Then there'll hopefully be a release."

Raven: "So you do care."

Erik: "My concern is always for the benefit and wellbeing of mutants. Now go Raven. Get to the X-Men."

/

The camera zooms out and away from Mystique and we're taken onto the roof of MMM Global Sciences' headquarters. We see En Sabah Nur standing opposite Nathan Milbury. Dust, Quicksilver and Daredevil are all there on winged horses. Dust holds the bridle of a fourth unmanned horse. Milbury notably stays in his general human form and lab coat.

Milbury: "I suppose I should be honoured? To stand in your presence and not be killed."

"Misconceptions can lead to dangerous assumptions."

Milbury: "Would I be wrong to assume that you want something?"

"Your serum. I want for you to shut it down. I want it out of existence."

Milbury: "What do you understand about my serum?"

Dust: "That it enables newborn babies to grow up in the same way as the host parent."

Quicksilver: "So if a human mom takes the serum, her kid will be born a human. Same with mutants."

Daredevil: "We understand that the serum is supposed to give people a choice of how they want to raise their child. But we are here to eradicate the possibility."

Milbury: "Why? What difference does it make to you?"

"I am the last messenger of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. My presence here is to ensure that paths are true as Allah has written them. Your serum enables people to play God in their own lives. That is not acceptable"

Milbury: "I see."

Dust: "When a child is born, it is not up to a parent to determine the colour of it's eyes. To determine it's weight or to determine any disabilities, deformities or other characteristics. The challenge upon people is to nurture their child as it grows to become a person. Whether it is a mutant or human is up to Allah."

Milbury: "I understand. Let me ask you, En Sabah Nur, what is it that God intends for evolution? For the fact that you are a mutant. A messenger as you call yourself; don't you think that my serum enables evolution to speed up? For the fact that there are once again millions of mutants on the planet is a bonus to my scheme. Now, we will get to a mutant world, maybe even in my lifetime."

Daredevil: "So that's what you're intending to happen? For the world to be all-mutant."

Milbury: "That's right. It's not an overnight solve, but my serum allows people to make that choice. There are many mutant parents that have completely human children. Why should they suffer a human burden if they desperately truly want one of their own."

Quicksilver: "So you're saying that you're speeding up evolution?"

Milbury: "Exactly. I know I won't live forever and I don't want to. I just want for the world to be as it's supposed to be. All the serum does is gives mutants the power and choice of speeding up evolution."

Nur looks over his shoulder at Dust and then over his other shoulder toward Quicksilver and Daredevil. There's a pause as Nur contemplates what he's hearing.

"It is not for you to determine the life that Allah gives to those on earth. What Wanda did was reversable. What your serum does won't be."

Milbury: "What does it matter if it means evolution is sped up a little? Let me tell you this; when God wiped out the dinosaurs he did so for a reason. I believe that reason was so that evolution was sped up. He put dinosaurs on the planet, he got bored of them, he killed them. I am not adverse to the idea that humans are wiped out like the dinosaurs were. But unfortunately there's no way to do that. So instead, my serum does what God did with the dinosaurs. It takes a little longer, but it's far more effective than waiting for evolution to naturally occur. I'm no messenger Nur, but I am doing what God intended; enabling mutants to be the next step of evolution as the inhabitants on this planet. Giving them the upper hand over humans. If you stop me and stop the serum, you'll simply be keeping things at the pace they are at right now. And who's to say Wanda Maximoff won't change her mind? Who's to say she won't say no more mutants again? What do you think Nur? What would your God want you to do?"

Nur stands quietly as he looks to his three horsemen again.

"No… more… humans."

Dust looks shocked. Even Quicksilver looks surprised. Daredevil remains stoic.

"Wanda Maximoff will say no more humans. Then, with your serum in play, only mutants would be born from mutants. Humans won't exist. There won't be a human host for a human baby to be born ever again."

Milbury: "Evolution fast-forwarded. En Sabah Nur, you'll make my dreams come true. I will be able to see the world prosper with mutants only."

"Allah will be pleased."

Dust: "En Sabah Nur, I know good humans."

Daredevil: "I do too. I don't think this is what God would want. What about newborns? New humans are born every day. Not everyone will take the serum."

"Quiet my horsemen. I was woken not only to restore balance, but to enforce a new era. A true mutant era for the future of earth. Mutants only. That will be the balance." To Milbury: "Your job will be to ensure the serum reaches every hospital. Every pregnant woman."

Milbury holds his hands up: "I consider humans an endangered species. Thank you, great En Sabah Nur."

/

We see Wanda Maximoff and Rogue hugging one another in the foyer of the main entrance at the X-Mansion. Kitty and Piotr are sat on the stairs. Ororo is holding the front door open. Scott and Emma are present too. Wanda releases the hug.

Wanda: "You sure you won't stay?"

Rogue: "I can't. I gotta get to my kid. Even at an early age they grow and change so fast you know?"

Wanda forces a smile and doesn't say anything. Rogue hugs Kitty and we see Beast walk down the hall. He hands Rogue a food container.

Hank: "Cheese and pickle, courtesy of yours truly."

Rogue hugs him as she takes the food: "Thanks Hank, so sweet of you." They release the hug. "Is Gambit anywhere?"

Hank: "I haven't seen him."

Rogue looks at Scott who shakes his head and then at Emma. Frost stands there waiting for Rogue to leave. Out front we hear a car horn. Logan is driving the convertible with Jubilee in the passenger seat and Bobby in the back.

Bobby: "C'mon Rogue, you wanna go home or not?"

Emma: "Bye Anna."

Rogue hugs Ororo warmly and then gives a casual "See ya" in response to Emma. She walks toward the car, but as she does we see another vehicle motoring towards the driveway. The car skids to a halt and out of it steps a man that everyone recognises. Logan jumps out of the convertible.

Scott whispers: "Professor?"

Emma: "No. It's Mystique."

Logan sprints at him (her) SNIKT! "Arrrgh!" Charles Xavier promptly turns into Mystique's normal self.

Mystique: "Wow, wow ok ok, sorry! It's me, it's Mystique."

He doesn't stop in his stride. We see Beast running from out of the mansion on all fours at an incredible speed. He tackles Wolverine to the ground right before he can get to Mystique. SNIKT! His claws retract.

Wolverine: "Get off me Hank. She's not welcome here."

Beast: "Bloodshed won't bring back our friends. Please Logan, be calm."

All of a sudden while most peoples' eyes are on Beast and Wolverine we see Emma Frost come out to the driveway and she lands a face crunching right hand on Mystique, forcing her to the ground.

Mystique: "Ow! What the fuck!"

Emma: "That's for Susan Storm. That's for our Storm, for Panther's mom. That's for everyone you've helped hurt."

Beast releases Logan and they get back to their feet.

Logan: "That's the exact thing I was gonna say."

Storm walks down to the driveway: "Except your punch might've killed her."

Logan: "Who fuckin' cares. Hell you should be the angriest out of all of us."

Mystique picks herself up and gets to her feet.

Storm's eyes whiten and we can tell that she is holding back: "Oh I'm angry. My marriage doesn't exist because of the waking of En Sabah Nur. A waking that you were partly responsible for Mystique. But with the sanctity of our home in mind, you wouldn't be stupid enough to come here without a purpose. Before I send a lightning bolt into you, I suggest you speak of why you are here."

Mystique: "You're all so high and mighty. Cloak and Dagger! They wanted to wake Nur and they were fully part of the plan to make it happen. I just went along with it 'cause I thought it would mean everyone would end up getting their powers back."

Scott Summers steps out to the lawn and puts his hand on Emma's back guiding her toward the mansion. She steps off the driveway and back toward the front door. Scott addresses Mystique: "We know you're lying Mystique. You wanted Nur awake so that it was Erik that had his powers back. Cloak and Dagger had other reasons."

Mystique: "My point is that there's blame to be shared. And you should be fuckin' happy. I was almost recruited by Nur. But I chose to stay with Magneto. Without that decision, I wouldn't be bringing you this news today."

Rogue: "What damn news?"

Mystique: "Hello to you too, daughter."

Logan: "What news?"

Mystique: "Iceman, cool to see you as yourself again."

Beast: "Raven. I won't hold Logan back again."

Mystique doesn't say anything and she takes a look around.

We see Jubilee launch fireworks from her hands and they explode at the feet of Mystique. Jubilee shouts: "What news woman?!"

Mystique: "Damn it. Ok! Jesus. The news of MMM Global fucking Sciences."

We see Emma Frost upstairs in the mansion. She opens a window to hear everything from her bedroom.

Mystique: "Owned by Moira MacTaggart. Wanna know what the final M stands for? It's Moira MacTaggart-Milbury. Charles' precious former flame is married to and in cahoots with Nathan Milbury."

Kitty near enough gasps as we see Emma hold her hand to her mouth in the window up top.

Hank: "Oh my God."

Jubilee: "No wonder we were never allowed in to visit."

Bobby: "Milbury? Do we know a Milbury?"

Logan: "Oh we know. That bastard is Mister Sinister."

Ororo: "Scott. The serum."

Scott: "I know."

Piotr: "I thought Sinister disappeared many battles ago?"

Rogue: "That man's a plague. He never truly disappears. He keeps comin' back for more."

Hank looks at Wanda: "Wanda? You seem quiet."

In the blink of an eye Wanda disappears and in the distance on the field we see a portal open. En Sabah Nur walks through it with his three horsemen. Wanda is there with them as Quicksilver has her in his grasp.

Wanda: "Pietro, what are you doing?"

Quicksilver: "It's for the good of the world sis'."

We watch as the X-Men turn their focus onto En Sabah Nur. Storm flies to the sky, as does Rogue. We see Cyclops run through the centre of the X-Men to lead them toward the centre of the field. Wanda sends a blast beam out of her body that releases Quicksilver's hold. She levitates into the air and floats over to align herself with the X-Men.

Cyclops: "En Sabah Nur. We have been waiting for this."

Nur says nothing and simply nods to his horsemen. They begin storming forward on their horses. The three of them against ten X-Men. Mystique stays way in the background by the entrance of the mansion. Daredevil attacks Cyclops from his horse, hitting him with his Billy Club. Cyclops blasts a beam in his direction, but misses. SNIKT! Wolverine goes after Quicksilver, but Pietro's way too fast. He's able to speedily and easily be away from Wolverine and rush around to land punches on Iceman's face, Jubilee's, but as he aims a hit to Shadowcat she's transparent and Quicksilver hits Colossus who doesn't move. Quicksilver vibrates on the spot after having the impact of the speedy hit bounce back within him. Dust transforms into her sandy gravelly self and she moves along the floor to lift Beast from under his feet. He lands on his backside as Dust does the same to Wolverine and then Wanda. The fight goes on as Storm and Rogue try to concentrate on Nur, who stands there doing nothing.

Storm: "By the heavens," the clouds part, "release the Storm from the skies above!"

Storm unleashes lightning bolts from eerily formed dark clouds. She targets Nur, but he opens a portal and the bolt goes through it only to come out from another portal and hit Wolverine. Storm does it again and then hits Iceman through the portal. Wolverine barks it off as Iceman comments: "Damn Storm, it's good I'm in my ice form or else that woulda hurt!"

Iceman is kicked over by a horse. We see Beast trying to wrestle one as Jubilee tries to bring down a third with fireworks.

Shadowcat: "This is impossible."

Cyclops: "We have them well outnumbered X-Men. Stick to teamwork and our training. We got this."

Dust reforms as her normal self as a playing card is launched onto the scene. It explodes and we see Gambit run out of the X-Mansion. He grabs Dust by her face, moves her Niqab to reveal the lower part of her face and he kisses her.

Colossus, battling the fourth horse: "Gambit, not the time my friend."

Dust looks as if she's willing accepting the kiss, but then she fades to her gravelly sandy self and makes her way to her horse. The fight continues as Wanda levitates to join Storm and Rogue in the sky.

Rogue: "Any ideas ladies?"

Storm: "My bolts do nothing because of Nur's portals."

Scarlet Witch: "How are we supposed to get to him?"

Storm: "You and I need to blast him together, but it will have to be timed perfectly."

Scarlet Witch: "Rogue?"

Rogue: "I got it. I'm the bait. I'll take Nur's eyes one direction, you two blast him in another."

The X-Women split in the sky and Rogue verbally taunts Nur. Scarlet Witch goes to ground level and gets ready for the blast, but in slow motion we see Quicksilver receive instructions from Nur.

"Capture your sister."

Quicksilver: "How En Sabah Nur? She blasted her way free before."

"I have enhanced your skills. Use your speed. When you hold her, vibrate. She won't escape."

In the blink of an eye, before Scarlet Witch can get her blast off we see her by the side of Nur. Quicksilver is holding her and his arms are in a constant state of vibration. Wanda talks at him and tries to blast her way out, but then Pietro's torso vibrates. Then his legs and even his head. Scarlet Witch can't move at all.

"Silence!" Nur commands.

The back and forth of the fight dies down and we see the four horses trot back to be by Nur. Dust is on hers. Daredevil climbs onto his. The X-Men regroup on the ground.

Storm shouts: "Let her go! You have done enough harm En Sabah Nur."

Cyclops: "Pietro, she's your sister. What are you doing?"

Nur looks at Wanda.

Rogue: "What are you doin' jackoff? You had Wanda before. You didn't kill her, why do you want her now?"

Daredevil: "Not to kill her."

Shadowcat: "Then what's going on Matt?"

Beast growls as Wolverine barks: "I agree. Let her go before things get ugly bub."

/

Inside the X-Mansion we see Mystique approaching Emma who's watching everything out the window.

Emma: "You're not welcome in our home, let alone my bedroom."

Mystique: "Thought you should know that the last I saw of Milbury, he was yanked out of MMM by Pietro."

Emma: "Why?"

Mystique: "I don't know. Pietro meant Nur, so Erik told me to get my ass out of there."

Emma: "And where is he?"

Mystique: "Erik? Genosha. But he's on his way here. He wanted to be aligned with you guys before shit hit the fan."

Emma: "Too late for that."

Mystique walks out.

Emma: "You're leaving? I thought you'd want to get me back for that punch."

Mystique: "You're pregnant. I'm not evil. My job here is done."

Emma watches Mystique as she leaves. Then looks out the window to witness the showdown.

/

Nur speaks: "Wanda. You will say the words _no more humans_. And you will live."

Gambit: "Oh hell no."

Jubilee: "Are you crazy?!"

Cyclops: "Nur. You cannot expect her to do that."

Beast: "When she said _no more mutants_, it simply meant that mutants would live their lives as normal humans. If she says _no more humans_, the humane population would…"

Iceman: "What?"

Wolverine: "Would what Beast?"

Beast: "… would die."

In the background on the driveway we see Mystique start her car and drive away from the scene.

Rogue approaches Nur, holding up her hands: "No. You can't do this."

Gambit sets to race for her, but Shadowcat gets Colossus to hold him.

Shadowcat: "No Gambit."

Gambit: "She's gonna get hurt."

Colossus: "Please Cajun, wait. We must be careful to ensure we all stay alive."

Gambit shouts: "Rogue!"

Rogue looks over her shoulder, but doesn't say anything to Gambit nor the other X-Men.

"Say the words Wanda."

Rogue: "No! Please. Nur, I have a son. He's new into this world and ah can't lose him. He's my whole world and all I wanna do is watch him become everything he can be in this life. Please. Don't make Wanda say those words."

"If she doesn't then you will all die. And I will manually kill every human."

Rogue: "But why? You let Wanda live before. You weren't angry at her, you just wanted balance right?" She looks back to the X-Men "right?"

Cyclops, Beast, Storm, Wolverine, Shadowcat, Colossus, Jubilee and Gambit all nod. Iceman shrugs his shoulders.

"Balance can occur by way of evolution. The time for humans on earth has come to an end."

Rogue: "Says who? Says you? If it was you then you would have made Wanda say that in the first place. But you didn't. You got her to restore mutants. Humans are a part of the world otherwise there wouldn't be new ones born right? Every baby would be born a mutant. But the evolution you speak of, it's a process."

/

We see Emma in her window. She telepathically instructs Cyclops on what to say.

/

Cyclops steps forward, but not as close as Rogue: "God wants balance Nur. That's what you're here to ensure. But that balance is His to bestow, not yours to implement. Whatever you're thinking about a mutant-only world, it's wrong. Otherwise who could make it so that mutants were never born again? Only God could do that."

Nur looks at Dust, then at Daredevil.

Dust: "We follow as you lead En Sabah Nur."

Daredevil: "You haven't been called to rest yet Nur. Perhaps your purpose is not to exterminate humans, but to prolong them. To ensure a world of stability would mean a world that is equal in humans and mutants alike. That will mean balance; to ensure everything is in God's intended natural order."

Nur looks at Rogue: "You are unhappy. You cannot touch your son."

Rogue doesn't say anything.

"Join me. Help me ensure that there is balance on earth. In return I will make it so you can fully control your powers."

Cyclops: "Rogue, don't-"

Rogue: "- Hold on Scott. What do you mean fully control?"

"You won't tire from flight. It'll be as easy as breathing. You won't have to refrain from skin to skin contact. You can touch, you can feel. You will be allowed to love without worrying about the person with whom you're connecting. You will finally have serenity."

Rogue: "And Wanda?"

"She will go free. All your friends will."

Cyclops barks: "What about humans? You can't expect to recruit Rogue and then go wipe out every human manually." He points to the mansion. "My child's up there. Unborn and innocent. I won't let you kill it."

Nur doesn't say anything as Rogue looks around.

Rogue: "The X-Men will be safe. What about mah family?"

"Your family will be yours to love. Once there is balance I will return to my state of rest and my horsemen will return to their lives."

Dust makes eye-contact with Gambit.

Storm: "How can we trust you?"

Daredevil: "He doesn't lie Storm."

Iceman: "So Rogue goes with you to restore balance? How? What's your new plan?"

Rogue: "Would you shut up Bobby? Ah'm tryin' ta think."

Nur stares at Rogue, who's looking at Wanda.

Rogue: "Let her go."

Nur nods at Quicksilver and he releases his sister. Scarlet Witch remains close by. Rogue looks back toward the X-Men.

Rogue: "I'm sorry. I have to do this."

Rogue approaches Nur and he waves his hand in her direction. She inhales a deep breath. Dust pulls forward the fourth horse, offering it to Rogue. She takes control of the horse's lead, but doesn't climb on. Instead she launches herself at Scarlet Witch. She touches her face and absorbs every ounce of power that she can.

Cyclops: "Rogue!"

Dust: "No, what is she doing?"

Daredevil says nothing.

/

We see Emma Frost in her window slightly smile: "Get'm girl."

/

Gambit yells: "Rogue?!"

Rogue lets go of Scarlet Witch who falls unconscious to the floor. For the first time Nur takes a step back. For the first time Nur looks like he's in a state of panic.

"Horsemen?"

He sets to instruct his horsemen with what to do, but before he knows it an empowered Rogue screams the words: "No more Apocalypse!"

Dust: "Nooooo!"

Daredevil drops from a disappearing horse and lands on his feet. Dust turns to gravel and sand and whirls around trying to get to En Sabah Nur, to try and preserve or save him, but it's too late. The four horses have disappeared. En Sabah Nur is no more. Dust reforms as her normal self and she stares daggers at Rogue.

Dust: "What have you done?!"

The X-Men all run to gather around Rogue and to check on Wanda. We see Quicksilver disappear in a flash. Daredevil walks away slowly. Dust meanwhile sheds tears as Gambit seems to be more concerned over Rogue than he is about her. She fades to sand and gravel and soon disappears from the scene. We zoom out signifying calm.

/

In the Avengers Tower we see Tony Stark enter the room where Janet Pym lays in her coma. He pats Bruce Banner on the shoulder and shows him his phone. The message from Emma Frost reads _En Sabah Nur is dead._

Bruce: "No way. How?"

Tony: "No idea, but it'll be on the news before long."

Bruce: "Amazing."

Tony: "I didn't think they could do it. I thought we'd be at their rescue once again."

Bruce: "Come on Tony, give'm some credit. The X-Men are good people."

Tony: "Yeah well. I suppose we have a lesser evil to find. Have you heard from Steve?"

Bruce: "Yeah. Reed's not ready. He's still in mourning you know? I think it's better that way. Having him and Johnny fight out of emotion won't help them against Doom."

Tony: "Well either they join us soon or we go after Doom ourselves. I wanna get to Wakanda too, have a word with Panther."

Bruce: "Don't push that button Tony, he's Steve's friend. Cap's the best person to get T'challa onside."

Tony: "We'll see. What, you don't think I'm enough of a people person that I can't make nice to talk to a King?"

Bruce: "You're too sharp Tony. For T'Challa to listen he'll need to hear it from a softer tongue, not one that's trying to tell him what to do."

Tony shrugs.

/

We see news vans and a couple of helicopters arrive at the X-Mansion. Scott Summers leads the press conference confirming to the world that the mutant population has been restored, Wanda Maximoff is alive and well.

Scott: "And, En Sabah Nur, the mutant known as Apocalypse is no more."

Journalists begin shouting questions as the scene fades out.

/

Inside the X-Mansion we see Hank, Jubilee, Logan, Kitty, Piotr, Bobby, Ororo, Emma Frost and Scott Summers all sitting and talking.

Logan: "I would've fucked him up if I had a chance. I couldn't get to him, especially after silver boy had Wanda."

Ororo: "Well lets be thankful that Rogue knew what to do. She will be glad to have been an X-Man again, even for only a day."

Emma: "Are you glad Storm? To be back with us?"

Ororo: "There are certainly worse places I could be."

Scott: "We'll always be your family Storm. That goes for anyone who comes back to the mansion. Minus Magneto."

Emma: "He was actually supposed to show up believe it or not."

Jubilee: "You're kidding? Why didn't he? Would've been great if Rogue said no more bad guys. The world would have been a more peaceful place."

Emma: "Mystique. She called him as soon as she left here. Warned him off I guess."

Kitty: "What will be done about Nathan Milbury?"

Scott: "That's our next battle. He's hiding something and we have to find out what it is."

Bobby: "Emma, you can't go there and find out more using your…"

Emma: "No."

Scott: "No, she can't. We're not risking any deep telepathy while she's pregnant. (To Emma) You shouldn't have been talking to me today."

Rogue walks in with a backpack over her shoulder: "Yeah, me neither. But your ahdea to get rid of Nur worked a charm."

Scott looks at Emma, irritated, but proud.

Emma stands up as Rogue approaches: "You're alright?"

Rogue: "Ah'm fine. I get to hold my baby again. Thank you Emma."

/

We fade to MMM Global Sciences. Nathan Milbury is in his office. He's talking over his desk to a man sat before him; none other than Erik Lehnsherr.

Erik: "You've heard Nur is gone. I expect you're unhappy. Quicksilver said you wanted for humans to become extinct."

Nathan: "Ah, Pietro. He found his way back to you quickly."

Erik: "Quicksilver's sort of in the name don't you think?"

Nathan: "Quite. To answer your question, no, I'm actually over the moon. I sent Nur to the X-Men not expecting humans to become extinct at all. I was banking on them winning the fight."

Erik: "Why?"

Nathan: "So I have my way."

Erik: "How's that?"

Nathan: "My serum Erik. The world thinks it's a host-based science. What they think is that humans will guarantee human offspring. And whichever mutant takes the serum, they will guarantee mutant offspring. What they think is that they have a choice."

/

By the door, we see Moira MacTaggart. She is slow as she approaches and she doesn't enter, hearing Magneto's voice.

/

Erik: "What do you mean they _think_ they have a choice? What does your serum actually do Nathan?"

Nathan: "Well Erik, you and I have never had a problem and I don't foresee one now. Your plan to have Genosha as a safe haven for mutants is admirable and it's a great platform for the future. What I intend is for the platform of the world to become all-mutant."

Erik: "I don't understand."

Nathan: "My serum Erik, whether a human takes it or a mutant, it guarantees that the offspring will only ever be _mutant_."

Erik: "What about Nur? You didn't tell him this?"

Nathan: "If I did, he wouldn't have gone to the X-Men in search of Wanda and I wouldn't have been sat here so smug as the most powerful mutant in the world. With Nur out of the way the X-Men will have their guard down. My serum will reach more and more people and by the time babies are born, it will be too late. A world full of mutants."

Erik smiles as he picks up his glass: "Humans will become extinct."

Nathan leans over with his glass and they clink: "Yes. And it will happen my way."

/

In the hall we see Moira MacTaggart nervously getting her phone out of her pocket. She scrolls to Emma Frost's name and dials. We watch as she steps away from the door. Over her shoulder we see Nathan Milbury stand upright at his desk and fully transform himself into Mister Sinister.

/

Erik: "A problem?"

Sinister: "My wife."

He marches out of the office and follows Moira down the hall.

Moira on the phone: "Emma, please come, the serum is wrong, it's all wrong. It doesn't enable a choice it only means that people will give birth to mutants."

Sinister: "Moira."

Moira: "Magneto's here too, please, help!"

Mister Sinister teleports from behind Moira to appear suddenly in front of her. She screams and drops her phone.

Emma can hear Mister Sinister: "It will be easier if you don't resist. And, less dangerous."

/

At the X-Mansion Emma hangs up and addresses the X-Men: "We're not done for today."

Beast: "What's going on? Is Moira in trouble?"

Emma: "Big time Hank. Get to the jet. X-Men, Moira's serum isn't what it seems and Sinister has her. Magneto's there too."

Wolverine gets up: "Now we can have ourselves a proper fight."

Cyclops: "X-Men, suit-up. At the Blackbird forthwith."

Shadowcat: "Alright!"

Iceman: "Lets do this."

They all make their way out of the living room in different directions. Storm up the stairs. Cyclops and Beast down the hall. Wolverine and Jubilee to the kitchen. Emma stays. We see Wanda Maximoff come down the stairs.

Scarlet Witch: "I heard my father's name."

Emma: "Alongside Sinister."

Scarlet Witch: "You gonna be alright?"

Emma nods: "You don't have to go if you don't want to. You can't be at full strength."

Scarlet Witch: "My dad's there. I have to go."

Emma nods and puts a hand on her pregnant belly as Scarlet Witch goes to join the X-Men.

/

We see Shadowcat and Colossus run out the front door and yell out toward Gambit and Rogue who were walking up the driveway.

Shadowcat: "Guys! One more fight. Moira's in trouble!"

Gambit looks at Rogue. Colossus runs toward the basketball court as we see Shadowcat disappear through the ground.

Colossus: "Come friends. Mister Sinister is the villain."

We watch as the basketball court opens and we see the emergence of the Blackbird with Beast and Cyclops in the cockpit. Gambit still can't take his eyes off Rogue.

Gambit: "Wanna go?"

Rogue ponders: "Ah'm supposed to be goin' home."

Gambit starts walking away from her: "This is your home."

Rogue drops her bag and follows. They both begin running toward the Blackbird. We see Wolverine boarding the jet, Scarlet Witch, Iceman and others follow. Emma Frost is in the window of her bedroom and we watch as the Blackbird gets set to take off. Cue X-Men the animated series' music: watch?v=oeNFHW5MIPI


End file.
